The Reawakening of Love
by Rain de Leon
Summary: generalssenshi romance The girls are given very special gifts...dolls adorable, with rosycheeks, and eyes glowing with life
1. Default Chapter

For this fanfic, I created an original character named Lady Nala, kind of like a foster mother to the generals/shitennou. J

Anyway, hope you like the story, it was actually based on a fanart by Kaze that I happened to browse at in Anipike – Generals Love, I think, under the Sailor Moon category.

Now, on with the story.

PROLOGUE

The beautiful woman stood with her delicate head held high as she looked down on the kneeling young men before her in their crisp and impressive uniforms, heads bowed low as they kneeled before her.

All were silent, except that is, the young lad with short blond hair who was muttering grumpily about being called at such an ungodly hour, just as he was about to turn to his cozy bed for a night of blissful sleep.

The woman's face crinkled with a smile, chuckling silently at the obviously infuriated young man.  For indeed, the fiery young man was not one to mess with when it came down to his precious 'beauty sleep.'  

She sighed.

_Silly old boy..._

All of a sudden, her serene face became serious as the tallest of the men, who seemed to be the head of the group, slowly lifted his silver-platinum head and with such grave manners, addressed the lady respectfully before him.

"My lady_..._"

"Oh, do drop the formalities, Kunzite.  You and I very well know that you would rather throw curses at my face at this very moment - not that it hasn't been done yet, mind you_..._"

The woman gazed back at the young blond who was cursing a while ago and saw him looked at her - not even bothering to hide a naughty grin - and gave her an affectionate wink. But he suddenly straightened up when the brunette beside him elbowed his ribs and gave a grunt of disapproval.  An amused cough then came from another form beside the growling brunette - another blond with long wavy hair tied up in a long ponytail.  He gave the woman an apologetic nod, but was also having a hard time hiding a grin on his handsome face.

The old woman smiled. 

_Sigh. Boys will always be boys..._

The woman, who was very well known for her wisdom, shook her head in amusement, and with a tinge of regret_..._

_It's time..._

With such regal grace, she stepped down from her throne, and approached the four young men who now stood up in front of her, all sporting curious glances and traces of affectionate concern as well.

For indeed the woman was beautiful. . .but old as well.

For years, the woman not only became the men's mentor, she was also their loving foster mother.  And the young men, despite their mischief and immaturity at times, would suddenly become the most noble and courageous of men when it came down to the safety and welfare of their beloved "Nala".

The woman, Lady Nala, stopped in front of her "boys" and gave each one a long serious look.

"Nala, is there something wrong?" asked the brunette with the intelligent eyes and a slight frown on his handsome face.  

Usually, after the initial formalities, the woman would either start "babying" the men by scolding them of their crazy antics during the day and pinching their 'cheeks' (located in the more nether regions), which often resulted to the men squirming in their seats once in awhile; or just giving them motherly hugs, after which, certain businesses are to be discussed.

Now however, the expression on her serious face suddenly triggered an alarming bell in the back of the their heads, telling them that something was definitely – 

- wrong.    

Nala replied gravely, "No my son, in fact, the time has come when everything should be put to right_..." and with that, she raised her arms above her head, and started whispering words of incantation in a language foreign even to the young men's ears.  The room suddenly glowed with strange flickering lights and the men felt warmth spreading from within their bodies._

"Nala?"

"Lady Nala, what are you doing?  What is going on_..."_

"STOP IT, Nala!" shouted Kunzite as he saw the woman suddenly having breathing problems as she continued with her muttering.  

He started to approach the woman when an unseen strong force suddenly pushed him back.  Stunned, the silver-haired Kunzite staggered back - the sound of the colossal impact echoing throughout the halls of the palace.

The young man was baffled.

"W-What the_..._?" 

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL'S GOING ON?!" shouted the blond, Jadeite.

Sharp sounds of cracking can be heard all throughout the hall as beautiful stained glass windows lining up the sides of the palace were beginning to break apart from their sills.

The men were using their cloaks to protect themselves from the shattered glasses that flew all over the place as a seemingly strong blast of energy completely obliterated the windows.

As much as the men wanted to shelter the older woman, an invisible field that surrounded her body seemed to act as her shield and protection.

Nala, whose long luxuriant grey-tinged hair flew all over her divine face, just looked at the young men and said in a very solemn voice,

"I love you my sons_...you have been my life and my world since you came to me so many years ago_..._and I am ever grateful of the circumstances that brought you to me however tragic they were__..."_

Lady Nala then took a deep long breath and whispered in a sad but firm voice, 

"However, it's time you find your life in a world that would truly make you happy_..._"

"Lady Nala! What do you mean?"  The young brunet asked helplessly, his head shaking in confusion and trepidation.

Nala gave him a tender smile as tears blurred her brown eyes, 

"Dear Nephrite, you and your brothers were not what you thought you were_..._you were not responsible for the misdeeds you thought you have committed a long, long time ago_..._let go of the past_..."_

The young man with long locks of flaxen blond spoke urgently, "We know Nala, we realized that a long time ago, YOU made us realize that_..._but I don't see how it has anything to do with this_..._what's going on?"

"My dear Zoisite,_..._you'll understand soon why I must do this_..._"

"Do what Nala?  Dammit!  STOP! What is it that you want to happen? Nala,_..._" the short-haired blond tried to reach out to the woman again, stretching his strong arms out, willing to reach the woman despite the seemingly powerful force pushing him back.

_...I love you, my sons..._

"NALA!!!"

A sudden huge explosion of light enveloped the whole room and a strong gust of wind swept shattered glasses on the floor to the end of the hall as the final words of incantation left the woman's lips.  Shattered pieces of stained glass fell all over the palace like showers of crystals. 

After what seemed like an eternity. . .the strong winds calmed down, and still silence followed.  The hall was swathed in darkness, the soft radiance from the full moon that shone outside the windows, its only source of light.  

Lady Nala, head bowed down, tiny sweat drops coming down the sides of her face mixed with salty tears, tried calming down her ragged breathing and the furious beating in her chest.  She then looked up, keeping her lips in a firm straight line to keep the sobs from escaping. 

Gone were the tall dashing young figures of moments ago.  In their place_..._

Nala walked unsteadily a few steps forward and kneeled down with tears in her loving eyes as she looked down at the seemingly-lifeless forms of her "sons".

They were no longer tall, nor moving.  They were still, yet Nala knew while looking at their eyes, that they were very much alive. . .and confused. . .and even frightened.

She reached out a hand and smoothened silky blond strands.

_My dear Jadeite, you will soon know.  Soon, my sons."_


	2. The Gifts

Chapter 1: The Gifts

"Oof!"

Serena stumbled back and almost fell if not for the strong arms that surrounded her small body to prevent her little behind from kissing the hard concrete pavement.

As usual, she was running late, only this time, she was no longer in high school, but attending her last year in a local Tokyo college.  And although the university wasn't normally stringent in terms of attendance compared to high school, Mr. Johnson would definitely burn her bums for missing his "incessant endeavor to alleviate the continuous degradation of the minds of the youth of today."  

_Yeah right, whatever,. . .that's the least of my problems right now..._

The young blonde then straightened herself up, ready to apologize to the person most unfortunate enough to have placed himself in her path.

"Ohhh,_ ..._I am really, really sorry, um, s-sir, I was just_..." Serena started apologizing to the stranger she bumped into in her rush to school, and was pulling her face away from his chest when suddenly, she felt something tenderly stroked her forehead._

The young blonde stiffened instantly at the stranger's actions, but soon calmed down upon smelling a familiar scent coming from the so-called "stranger" as well as heard an amused chuckle being emitted from his throat.

"Sweetheart, if you are to continue having this habit of bumping into other people as you rush to school, you better make sure it's me on the other end, hmm?" Darien straightened both of them in position but still kept his arms lovingly around Serena.

"Well, that could be arranged. You just have to make sure then that you would ALWAYS be on the other end, now would you?" Serena raised her delicate face towards Darien and gave him a conspiratorial wink.

Darien gave a slight groan and leaned down to gently bestow a morning kiss on his girlfriend's forehead. 

"Silly girl, then it will be ME who's going to be late."

Serena giggled, "Well isn't that the point?  Ever heard of the saying, 'The family that goes to work late together, stays together'?"

Darien laughed, "Serena, I think you mean 'The family that PRAYS together, stays together."

"My point exactly, as long as they do things together, they WILL stay together!" Serena insisted.

"Sigh, Sere_..._" Darien leaned his forehead against Serena's and closed his eyes.  He breathed in deeply to take in Serena's scent and to keep it to his memory so that he had something to keep him going at the hospital later on while working on his medical internship.

Serena hugged Darien to herself a bit more and relished the feeling of being in his arms when suddenly,

- she was thumped at the back rather firmly.

"Hey, watch it will you_...," Serena let go of Darien and turned around only to come face to face with_...__

_...a very beautiful woman with intense violet-eyes and luxuriant raven black hair__..._

_...who happened to look very. . .dangerous as of the moment_.__

Serena gulped to her impending doom_..._

"Oh!  Aah,_...hehehe, hello Rae__..."_

"Sere!  If I still find your butt in here within 10 seconds, I will personally kick you off to kingdom come, you hear?!"

"But Rae, it wasn't my fault_...the alarm clock was broken and__..."_

"1_..._2_...3_..._"_

"Oh, all right already, I'm going, I'm going_...Sheesh!"  Serena turned back to a very amused Darien and gave him a slight punch on the arms for all her troubles._

In return, Darien leaned down to brush his lips tenderly across Serena's_..._

"_..._5_...6_..._7__..."_

"Eeeppp!"  Serena immediately resumed her marathon and continued running towards school.

"See you later, Rae!  And Darien, stop smirking!  I'm off!"   

The frown in Rae's face suddenly ceased when Serena was no longer seen as the bubbly blonde turned to a corner.  She then glanced at Darien and saw him grinning back at her.

"You know, a military camp suits you better than a temple."  Darien teased Rae as she flipped her long hair back from her shoulders with a slight smile on her lovely face.

"Well, SOMEBODY has to keep that idiot of a girl from flunking college, you know.  I refused to work for an airhead.  Though, she's not far behind from being one. . .sigh, that idiot_..." Rae rolled her eyes upward. _

Darien chuckled, "And she loves you, too Rae."

"Yada yada, well, I have to go. Grandpa is not feeling too well today he said, although I'm guessing he's just saying that to take a day-off and flirt with the girls downtown. Bye!"

Rae gave Darien a wave before she rushed towards the Cherry Hill Temple.

Darien beamed and started walking.

It was a beautiful morning and a nice walk, compared to driving a car, was definitely called for in such occasions.

_Sere and Rae may squabble a lot but I know they care for each other very much, and same goes with the others...Mina, Ami and Lita..._

_Sere and I are so fortunate to have such caring friends, and eventually, loyal comrades..._

_...they too deserve happiness just as Sere and I have..._

Darien passed several stores and food vendors while thinking of Serena and her friends as he was walking towards hospital.

_I wish I could do something for the girls, to thank them somehow, to..._

"Good day young man, care to shower your friends with wonderful gifts?"

Darien stopped walking.  He turned and saw the sweetest looking old lady behind the small stall filled with trinkets and stuffed-toys hanging in front.

The old lady smiled, "It seems you're in deep thought, young man.  Thinking of your sweetheart?"  eyebrows raised knowingly. 

Darien slightly startled, blushed.  An image of Serena putting out her tongue at him during one of their more "lively" discussions made him smiled at the memory.

He looked at the old woman and said in a deep voice, unknowingly tinged with love, 

"Indeed, yes."

"Well then, I have the perfect gift for the lucky lass_..._" the old lady turned away and started moving some boxes behind her.

Darien, with one hand scratching the back of his head, started apologizing to the old lady and was about to tell her that as of the moment, he's not interested in buying any gifts, when the woman came out again.

"Perfect gifts for the perfect lady."

"I'm sorry, ma'am but I'm not really_..." Darien was starting to leave with an apology when he looked down and stood still._

Before him were some stuffed-toys: bears, kittens, puppies, all kinds_..._but what drew his attention were some_..._

The old lady smiled as she followed Darien's gaze.

"Ah, those are very rare items, young man.  My granddaughter made only a few of them and as you can see, each of them is unique. And cute too," the old lady chuckled in a seemingly-affectionate way. "The girls seemed to adore these the most.  Your sister or your young lady friends would love one surely."

Darien shook his head bewilderingly.  Strange, he felt a sense of *knowing* somehow and he can't seem to shake it off.  He then turned his head again and looked down_.  _

And suddenly, as if he was compelled to do something, an idea formed in his head.  He turned to the woman and asked, "How much for each?"

"Well, they ARE indeed unique and different in their own way, they are very special to me as well_..._" the old woman trailed off the rest of her sentence as she seemed to have gotten lost in her memories.  Darien looked questioningly at the woman.

"Are you alright, ma'am?"

"Oh, pardon me, I'm sorry dear, just me and my little trip down the old memory lane.  I guess I AM OLD." The woman chuckled.

Darien looked at the old woman and felt sudden warmth inside his chest.  He didn't know why, but he can't help but feel concern for the woman.  She seemed to be a very nice old lady.

"Well, may I ask then how much for these four?"

The old woman smiled at Darien and looked at him for a long time before she reached out for the stuff that Darien have chosen to buy and put them inside a huge paper bag.

"My dear, the value of these things can only be deemed of worth if the person receiving them would indeed cherish them as I have.  Hence, I do hope and pray that whoever you have chosen to give these to would learn to appreciate its value and worth."

The old woman regarded Darien so seriously that he almost laughed out loud. It was as if the things that he had decided to buy were really priceless and not just some gifts he bought at a lowly stall in downtown Tokyo.

And yet, he can't help but feel_...responsible.  Even weirder was the fact that he even felt the NEED to buy the gifts._

He looked down at the paper bag and at the stuff he bought and then returned his gaze to the old lady who was now smiling sadly with a tinge of regret in her gray eyes.

Darien frowned at the old woman's reaction, 

_But then why sell them if they're really special to her?_

Darien would have asked the question but the old woman spoke abruptly.

"Dear, I would be closing soon, it's the weather, you know.  Sometimes my knees just can't seem to handle it.  Being terribly old and all," the old woman smiled.  "That'll be $4."

Darien gave her the money and looked at her for probably the last time and smiled gently.

"Don't worry ma'am, I promise you that they would be cherished by my friends."  And with a wave, off he went.

The old woman smiled mysteriously, with a trace of contentment -and even sadness in her eyes.

_Soon, my sons._

_Soon._


	3. The Girls

Chapter 2:  The Girls

The following day, 

"Hi guys!"

Five lovely heads turned around as young Darien walked towards the group of beautiful women all sitting around a low table at the patio in front of Cherry Hills temple.  Any member of the male species would have felt like he had gone to heaven in the presence of these women, but to Darien, they're his family.

"Darien!" Sere, who was looking utterly wretched in front of her Advanced Math book, immediately jumped out of her seat and ran towards the young man.

As she threw herself at Darien, the latter dropped his stuff to the ground to envelop his girlfriend in a tight embrace, twirling her around before setting her in front of him.  Darien gave Serena a kiss on the tip of her nose before leaning his forehead against hers.  

Darien loved doing this to Sere, he could just stay like this for a long, long time.

"Hey Darien!"

Darien looked up and waved to the girls who had just greeted him.  He looped his right arm around Serena and with his left one, carried his stuff and walked towards the girls.

"You know, Darien, if you decided to stop by and distract Serena to insensibility, the least you could do is distract US as well," joked Lita.

"Yeah, you ought to bring some guys from time to time.  I could go for a medical trainee or a nurse too, or even one of the patients may not be bad," Mina giggled.

Rae just looked at Mina mockingly, "A little desperate aren't we?"

Mina grinned, "Just keeping my options open, dahling. Just keeping them open."

Rae rolled her eyes upward and Ami gave a small laugh behind the book she's reading.

Darien looked at the girls and gave them a mysterious smile, "Well, I DO have something for you girls."

"YOU DO?!"

Suddenly, all four lovely, sophisticated girls stood up and rushed towards Darien like a pack of hungry wolves.

The young lad sweatdropped when he found himself being crowded by eager girls who suddenly looked scary if not gorgeous. 

"Aww, Darien, how sweet_...GIMME!!!"_

"Oh, is it something to eat? Wait, maybe, some new york cheesecake?"

"I could make that you know. What is it Darien?"

"Hurry up!"

Darien laughed and gave something to each girl except Serena, who just stood back and looked at her friends with a smile.

Darien called her up last night and talked to her about his idea and what happened the day before. Serena was so touched by Darien, and that made him endearing to her even more.  True, her friends indeed deserve even the smallest joys in life.

"Oh my!"

"_..._Oh_..."_

"Aww, how sweet."

"Looks definitely like my old boyfriend."

In the girls' arms were stuffed toys.

Rae just glared intensely at her doll of short blond hair and blue eyes.

"Ah,_ ..._gee, thanks Darien, that was_..._er, really nice."

And when she looked at the doll again, noticed something unusual about its face.

_Sheesh, do they really have to make them with tons of rouge on their faces?_

Rae walked back to her seat and put the doll on the table, and as she sat down, continued with her studies, ignoring the doll who was sitting adorably on top of the table.

"Ohh, he's soooo cute!  I love it! Thanks Darien." Lita hugged her doll of long curly brown-hair, and nuzzled its soft face with her nose.  Lita again looked at the doll,

"Oh my, they have rosy cheeks! What a cute doll!!!"  

"Eeekkk!"

Everyone suddenly looked at Mina, who after looking at her doll of long silver hair, shrieked and rushed back to her backpack and started rummaging through it.

"What's wrong Mina?" Serena asked the blonde who was frantically searching for something in her bag.

Mina merely muttered, "Oh for goodness' sakes, where the heck is it?...There! Yes, I found it!"

Mina turned back to the worried group and with her hands raised, showed_ -_

"_..._a red ribbon?!"  Everyone looked confused.

Mina just gave a weird look of longing in her eyes and went to her doll, turning her back to the others.  After awhile, she faced everyone again and gave a wicked smile.

Everyone fell out of their seats when they saw what the princess of love did.

In the doll's hair, the red ribbon is tied in a half-ponytail while Mina kept on hugging it from behind.

"Mina! W-what_..._you_...hahaha!" Suddenly everyone burst into laughter at the girl's antics._

"What?" Mina questioned the gang who were laughing uproariously.

Lita was gasping as she tried talking to young blonde, "Mins,_ ..._hahaha_...you, can't__...hahaha," Lita gave up to the bouts of laughter overcoming her._

Ami who was having trouble controlling herself as well spoke, 

"But Mina_..._chuckle_...the dolls are anatomically speaking, of the male species."_

"What?" Mina gave them all a puzzled look and turned her doll's face towards her to see indeed, other than the long silver hair, that the features of the said doll were indeed of a boy, or a man for that matter.  And if only she looked a bit more closely, the doll's eyebrows were somehow puckered in an angry scowl.

Mina just gave a shrug, "Whatever,_...it still looks cute!  Now we have the same hairstyle!  Hah," Mina suddenly gave a very wicked look, "wait till you see my other dolls' clothes, you're going to be soooo cute in them!"_

Mina hugged the doll to her face and brushed her nose against the doll's small button nose affectionately.

Darien just laughed at Mina, and in doing so, saw Ami approaching him.

"Thank you so much Darien." Ami looked up to Darien and gave him a dazzling grateful smile.

"It was a pleasure, Ami." Darien gave a gentle smile to the shy girl. 

Ami turned and went back to her seat to continue reading her book, the doll with the long blond hair placed in her lap between her and the hardbound.  The blue-haired girl unconsciously brushed her chin at the top of the doll's face.

Darien smiled at the group when suddenly he was yanked forward by a pair of small hands clutching his collar.

He found himself very near Serena's beautiful face with a teary smile. 

"Thank you_..._" Serena whispered.

Darien just stared into her eyes and wrapped his arms around the small form.

"Anything for you, sweetheart."  Darien leaned down and gave Serena a gentle kiss on the lips.

The rest of the group was oblivious to the couple as each of them was so intent in their own little world. . .together with their new dolls.


	4. The Girls and their Gifts

Chapter 3:  The Girls and their Dolls

- Several weeks have passed since that fateful day in Cherry Hills Temple -

"Ho-hum."

Ami covered her mouth with her dainty little hand, trying to stifle the yawn coming out.  She looked at the alarm clock beside her and was surprised to see that it was already a quarter past midnight.

"Oh my, it's really late." She stood up from her desk and went to her closet to change clothes.  In the process of removing her shirt and changing into a night dress, she glanced at her bed and almost did a double take.

She squinted her eyes one more time, hoping that she wasn't imagining things.  

atop her bed was her doll that Darien gave several weeks ago, whom she thought, just a few moments ago had its eyes sewn shut while she was changing her clothes.

Ami shook her head and let out a small laugh.

_Staying up late sure could make your mind a bit,. . . unstable._

Ami walked back to her bed, reached out to her doll - whom she fondly called Zach - and curled in her bed while hugging the doll from behind.  The name was embroidered in its lapel and Ami seemed to think that the name suited him well.

Amazingly, she found herself reaching for "her Zach" not only when she was about to go to sleep, but also at some points throughout the day - while reading a book, lounging on the chair, or even when talking to Serena on the phone.  Her mom was quite amused by her actions, considering that Ami was not really the type of person to be so cuddly and affectionate, and with a cute stuffed toy at that.

For the first few days, she told herself that her excitement with the doll would eventually wear off.  As days passed however, instead of getting tired of the doll, it instead grew on her.     

Ami turned her doll towards her to look at its face.  The constant blush at first puzzled her, but then decided that it must be a special attribute given by the manufacturer of the doll.

_Doesn't matter,. . .I liked it anyway_

She stared into the green eyes of the doll and found herself slowly being lulled to sleep.  She really found it amazing that by just looking at her doll, that she could feel so calm and_..._safe, protected even.

With a final yawn, Ami hugged Zach closer and rested her face against his, nuzzling her nose against its softness before giving into blissful sleep.

The doll in her arms lost its blush, and in its eyes, was a mysterious sparkle.

Lita was humming a song in the kitchen as she was preparing her hot chocolate before going to bed.

"hmm,_..._hmmm,_...yeah, just my imagination,__...oh, oh,__...running away with me_..._"_

The tall brunette brought her mug of chocolate and went upstairs to her room and sat on top of her doubles-sized bed as she listened to the evening news on TV.

After taking several sips of her hot cocoa, she slowly put down her mug on the night table beside her bed.  Lita instinctively reached out behind her and pulled something out and put it in front of her as she continued to watch the news.  

Unconsciously, her hand started playing with the hands of her doll, Nate, and her chin rested on its small head.

As the end credits of the news started rolling, Lita turned off the TV and lied down on her bed, embracing her doll, as she started singing in a soft voice.

"_..._each day through my window I watch him as he passes by_...and I say to myself I'm so lucky he's so fly__...to have a boy like him is truly a dream come true, and of all the girlies in the world, he belongs to you_..._but he was just my imagination, running away with me__..."_

_Sigh.  All just my imagination…_

Lita faced her doll, Nate, towards her and sighed deeply as she looked into its eyes, continuing her song,

"_..._he doesn't even know me_..._just my imagination_..._hmm," Lita closed her eyes, and tried conjuring up an image of the man of her dreams,

"Well, he would be tall, nicely-built of course, with_..._gorgeous brown hair," Lita opened her eyes and looked at her doll with a smile, "_...just like yours_..._and of course, he would be thoughtful and kind, a perfect gentleman, affectionate and cuddly!...just like you Nate_..._giggle."_

Lita laughed at her silliness before letting out a delicate yawn and looked into the doll's aquamarine eyes.  

"Someday, I'm going to find a man with eyes like yours and marry him!"  Lita declared happily.  Ever since that day that Darien gave them the dolls, Lita had never parted with her "Nate."  

Lita found it strange, and even confusing, that she became attached to the little thing.  She was never really into stuffed toys before and in fact, would prefer to tinker with her stuff in the kitchen.  But now, she even brings her doll to the kitchen whenever she concocted something up for the girls to eat.

_It goes to show how lonely and desperate I've become for male companionship.  Sheesh!_

Lita then shook her head to clear her mind of sad nonsensical thoughts and turned over on her stomach - for she liked this position best when sleeping - as she hugged her doll to her side, near her face and gave it a kiss on its tiny nose.

"Night, Nate."

And before long, Lita was already breathing deeply, asleep.

_Night, Thunderheart._

"Argh! Now where did Serena put it?"

Rae was seen making a lot of mess in her room, rummaging through whatever bins or places where a certain "idiot of a girl" could misplace one of her stuff.

"Ugh! Never mind! I can go ahead and sleep WITH or WITHOUT it anyway!"

And with that, she hopped towards her bed, wrapped her blanket around her, and lied down on her side, closing her eyes tightly.

For a few minutes, the night was still, crickets were making their usual lullabies in the night, the wind outside was flapping the curtain in an enchanting dance, the_..._

_...figure on the bed suddenly stood up and ran towards the phone - dialing a number and waiting for the other line to answer_.__

"click. . .ho-hum. . .uh, hello?"

"SERENA!!!"

"Owww!  Rae, do you really have to shout on the phone?  And why are you calling at such an awful hour? You know I need to sl_..."_

"Where is IT?"  Rae asked in a soft and deadly voice.

"Huh? What IT? You must have lost your head Rae, I don't kno_..._"

"Where is it?!  Serena, if you won't tell me where the heck it is in a few seconds, I swear_..._"

"But Rae, I don't even know what you are talking about? I swear I would tell you,_ ..._yawn_...if you would just calm dwown an' twell me what et cyould be_..._"_

At the other end of the line, a certain shrine keeper was not in the least bit "calmed" down.  She just wanted "IT," and she wanted IT right now.

"Serena,_..._where's_..." Rae paused and spoke in a small voice, "_..._where's Jade?"_

"J-jade?...Oh, THAT JADE, he's below the night table near the bed,_..._it's click."

Rae didn't wait for the rest of Serena's sentence and rushed towards her bed and looked under the night table.  As much as she tried to refrain herself from doing so, she can't help but feel relieved to have found her doll.

She reached towards the blonde doll and pulled it out, dusting off some dirt from its shirt in the process, and glared at it for a few minutes.

If one looked closely however, the dark-haired beauty's features softened quite a bit and a small sigh was emitted from her lovely lips, before the usual scowl returned to her exquisite face.

She threw the doll on her bed and lied down, the doll resting beside her on her pillow, as Rae kept on muttering about a certain "stupid blonde" being messed up.  It really annoyed her whenever the scheming Serena tried hiding her doll and baiting her to find "Jade" just to show that indeed she cared for the doll despite her cool façade and pretense of not giving a hoot for the "pesky little thing" as she called it.

Rae snorted and turned towards the object of her thoughts and gave him an intense glare.

"You are indeed a pesky little thing," Rae muttered at the doll before turning her back towards the doll.

Silence again resumed through the night.  The crickets continued on with their musicale that was rudely interrupted moments ago and the gust of wind can be heard flipping the curtain on the window_..._

_...a restless body reached out a hand and caught a small object to bring it in front of her chest, nuzzling her face against the doll and then finally, gave out a big sigh._

_Sweet dreams, Firefly._

A beautiful blonde girl sat on her bed as she carefully removed her stockings and threw away her shoes, after which, lied down on her back, still on her corporate suit.

Mina closed her eyes for a moment and gave out a big sigh.  She wasn't able to get the part that she wanted in the production she was auditioning for.  Again.  

For one thing, she was late in the audition this morning.  

_But it wasn't entirely MY fault!_

She was able to leave home early but was stalled when sweet old Mrs. McDowell, an old friend of Mina's who was sitting on a bench across the street suddenly fell from her seat while waving at the blonde and had a stroke.

Mina dropped her documents and credentials and ran to aid the woman, who fortunately, was able to get to the hospital in time and whose condition, Mina later learned, was now stable.  

Unfortunately however for the girl, not only was she late for the audition, her resume and credentials were nowhere to be found.  The producer was definitely not cordial, and her concentration was a bit off because she was still worried of her old friend's condition. 

Mina rolled to her side on the bed and curled her body in a fetal position. 

A few minutes later, a soft sniff can be heard followed by a sob.  A wet spot on the bed sheet was spreading at an alarming rate and the girl's form was trembling.

Mina felt utterly wretched.

She wanted so much to get the lead part not only because she loved acting per se, but also because she fell in love with the script, and most especially with the lead character that she was planning to role play.  She truly believed that they shared the same passion and had similar qualities and she would have loved personifying that character.  

Now, however she's sure that they won't even consider her as an extra for the play because of her "wretched" acting.

Fresh tears again filled her eyes and she brushed them away quickly.  In doing so, she discovered she was staring straightly into Keith's eyes and gave a wobbly smile to her doll.

She reached for her doll and brought it in front of her where she buried her tear-strained face in the crook of its shoulder and breathed in its scent.  

She discovered that this often calmed her.  Somehow in the process of doing so, her tears were wiped dry.  She drew her face away again and looked into the doll's face_. . ._

_...and suddenly burst out laughing.  She laughed so hard that she clutched her stomach in the hope of making it stop._

For you see, Keith, despite the very masculine pet name and countenance, was still sporting the same red ribbon which Mina let it wore since the day Darien gave it to her.  Not only that, it was also wearing a silly looking pink doll dress, with ruffles on the sides.

"_..._chuckle_...no doubt the girls had fun with you this morning," Mina spoke to her doll as she started undressing Keith._

The "girls" Mina was referring to were the Thompson twins that lived next door.  Mina and her family sometimes took care of the twins whenever their parents were not home.  __

As Mina was dressing the doll again, this time with its uniform, and still chuckling under her breath, she noticed the growing blush that was spreading in the doll's face.

"You know, Ami was right, you DO blush!" Mina declared.

"Amazing that the manufacturers were able to let you do that at the most appropriate times, like getting cuddled and kissed, and getting dressed_..._"

Mina looked at Keith closely once more and noticed the blush disappearing and instead a shadow of a scowl came into its face.

Mina shook her head and blinked her eyes real hard, and then laughed at what she was thinking.

_I'm beginning to imagine things._

She lied down again, hugging her doll, and suddenly realized that she didn't feel bad anymore.  She felt comforted.  And all because of her "Keith."

Filled with gratitude, she brushed her lovely lips against the doll's own, and gazed into its eyes,

"Thank you, love."

Then Mina closed her eyes and slept.

_Mina..._


	5. The Reawakening: Jadeite

Chapter 4: The Reawakening - Jadeite

Serena and the girls were spending the day at a park for a lovely picnic that Lita graciously prepared for the group.  The picnic blanket was filled up to the edges with plates containing different kinds of mouthwatering food, as well as several bottles of cold softdrinks that Mina was able to buy from the local grocery store – a treat, for she was called by the director of the production she auditioned for, informing her that they will be needing her on the set.

The girls were having so much fun, and of course, the usual bickering was still very much part of the menu.

"I swear Serena, God knows where you put all that food you eat_..._" Mina said as she watched Serena in awe as the latter kept on gulping down large amounts of food in her little mouth.

"_..._well you can bet that it's not going anywhere near her brain for that matter," Rae said mockingly.

"Ohh, RWAE!!!  Why dwo you havwe to be swo mwean?"  Serena tried talking while her mouth was filled with food.

"Serena dear, don't speak with your mouth full, you're literally slobbering food everywhere," Lita who was sitting nearby scolded her gently.

"But Lita, that's how pigs eat.  Aren't you glad that Serena is living up to your expectations?" Rae said, giving a wicked look to the fuming blonde.

"RAE!!!"

Anybody walking along the park would have called the cops seeing the ruckus that a couple of girls were making, if not for the laughter that were also emitted by the girls in question as well as their friends.

Unfortunately however, the girls were tackling each other near the drinks, and a few moments later, a shriek can be heard from one of the other girls.

"Eeekkk!  You guys, stop it!  Oh, no_..."  Mina was in the nick of time in clutching her doll, Keith, to save it from getting soaked entirely by the cola.  The sleeves of its uniform were not lucky however, and a spot of stain can be seen soiling its white uniform._

Serena and Rae immediately stopped and looked sheepishly at Mina, who was now removing the uniform top from her doll.  Mina gave both of them a scowl.

Still, Serena had the decency to look guilty at what they've done and spoke in a childlike voice, "Sowy_..."_

"We're sorry, Mina.  Serena most especially." Rae seconded, and Serena glared at what the dark-haired girl said.

Mina just looked at the two, and sighed laughingly.  Despite the apologies, the two were still at each other's throats.

_You really can't get mad at those two no matter what they do. . .now, what am I suppose to do with this?_

Mina glanced at the soiled clothing on her hands as well as to her doll, a worried look on her lovely face. 

"Don't worry, Mina, the stains will come off if you would just immerse that in water with detergent powder for an hour or so."  Ami said in her gentle voice, trying to console the girl.

Mina smiled at Ami, "Thanks, I'll do that, but what is Keith going to wear in the meantime?"

"Well, those doll dresses you have seem to fit him perfectly, especially the frilly ones," Lita remarked jokingly.

The whole group laughed as they still remembered seeing the doll once wearing a lovely yellow dress, with ruffles on the collar and bottom hem.

Mina too was also laughing, then she looked at her doll lovingly, and in a soft voice said, "_..._well, he IS beautiful_..._dress or no dress_..."_

Lita looked at Mina strangely and suddenly wished that she brought Nate with her.  She left the doll at home thinking that it would get soiled if she brought it along with the food in her bag.

Lita slapped a hand gently to her forehead in exasperation.  

_My God, what am I thinking?  A doll, for crying, out loud._

The tall brunette shook her head.

_Still, I miss the little guy._

Ami on the other hand, was clutching Zack to herself a little closer, as she too suddenly felt the need to hug her doll more snugly.  Instead of the usual book that Ami often brings during a group picnic, she opted to bring her doll instead, though she was hesitant to do so at first.  She thought it a bit odd that a young lady like herself, would still carry a doll at her age.  And yet, now, she felt really glad to have brought it with her. 

"Hey guys, it's getting awfully late, why don't we start cleaning up, hmm?"  Lita said.

And so the girls stood up and started arranging their stuff to leave.

"Grandpa?  Are you home yet?"  Rae cried as she entered the Cherry Hills Temple.

The place was unerringly quiet and unusually dark and Rae felt goosebumps on the back of her neck and all the way to her arms as she felt her way along the corridor of the temple.  As she came nearer the shrine, she noticed a flicker of light beyond the translucent door towards the sacred room where she often spent her time meditating.

She slid open the door leading to the shrine and was surprised to see a blazing fire on the altar, but her grandfather was nowhere in sight. 

_Strange,...why would he leave the fire burning...and where the heck is he?_

Rae started to get worried when she found a note in front of the fire and kneeled down to retrieve it.  After scanning the said note, Rae gave out a long and exasperated sigh.  

Apparently, her grandfather would be out for a very, VERY long time.  Just the phrase "out with some grumpy old men" would usually pertain to a group of old men having the time of their lives drinking sake and reminiscing the "old days."

The dark-haired beauty stood up and went nearer to the fire to take a yoga position in front.

_Might as well use the fire to meditate._

Rae closed her violet eyes and started concentrating in the silence of the night.  

In her mind, she saw darkness and focused all her energies on calming her mind and spirit.  As she finally reached the pinnacle of her tranquility, she suddenly felt an odd sensation creeping into her subconscious.

Her lovely face was creased by the sudden knitting of her brows and she unexpectedly felt the inclination to open her eyes, but something was pulling her back into the dark abyss of her mind.

_What is this?_

Somehow, she didn't feel threatened by the new sensations, she just felt. . .different, but in a peaceful way.

_Rae._

Her heart started pounding at a faster rate upon hearing her name.  She knew it wasn't anyone around her or near the shrine. It sounded different, like it was coming from far, far away.  And yet, so near, so familiar, so -

_Firefly._

Now THAT certainly had an effect on the girl.  Rae suddenly opened her eyes and gasped as she looked into the fire in front of her.  

She thought she saw,_...no, she MUST have imagined it, a form.  It was but a mere shadow, but a figure nonetheless.  And what made her gasp was that even though it was but a shadowy form, she saw clearly two dark pools of blue._

Eyes of blue.

But then it faded away as soon as she saw it.

Rae stood and approached the fire.  She stood there for a very long time, her mind filled with confusion and even, trepidation.  

After a long time, she went to the side of the room and retrieved the bag of sand that would extinguish the fire.  After doing so, she walked out of the room and shut the door.

_Remember me...  _

Rae stiffened at the voice but continued walking to her room, muttering under her breath about "imagining crazy things".  She opened the door to her room and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Rae felt a bit more relaxed, but still exhausted and sleepy.  She went to lie on her bed and automatically reach out for a particular item_...which she happened to have the trouble of not being able to find immediately.  _

Rae turned and started looking for her doll.

_Oh for crying out loud, where are you this time?_

Rae cannot seem to find her doll and she was getting frustrated and annoyed.  Add that to the fatigue she's feeling and the weird things that have been happening to her tonight, she suddenly felt tears of frustration and exhaustion coming to her eyes.

"Damn!  Where are you, you stupid doll?!" Rae kept searching but tears were already blurring her vision.  With a sob, she gave up searching and buried her face in her pillow to let out her aggravation.

"_..._Jade_...," Rae whispered._

A few minutes later, she gave in to her fatigue and slept.

Throughout the night however, the figure on the bed seemed restless and whimpers can be heard coming from her lips.  Her arms were wrapped around her but she can't seem to keep still.  Rae was tossing and turning, and she seemed lost in her sleep.  

She then reached out, as if seeking for something, and then her hands touched something warm.  Upon discovering that, she clung to the warmth and tried bringing it to her.  At first, it seemed so far away and it won't come near her, another whimper was heard as Rae became desperate.

Finally, it came nearer and when the girl felt the solid warmth on the side of her face, she gave out a restful sigh.  

Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around it, bringing it closer, and even though it now seemed larger and more solid than what was usual, the dark-haired beauty was still very much asleep and didn't have the strength to be thinking rationally.  

Besides, she didn't seem to care, she had HIM. . .and that's all that matters.  

"HIM" wasn't particularly sure of what was happening however, but after a few minutes, the tension in his body started to ebb away, and a long sigh can be heard in the night.  

Seeing the girl restless in bed worried him and he merely wanted to make sure she's alright.  He wasn't counting on Rae reaching out and clinging to his hand.  Nor was he counting on Rae actually bringing him to her bed and embracing him intimately for that matter.  And yet he noticed he wasn't even complaining.  In fact, a tender smile can be seen on his handsome face as he looked down at his _Firefly and saw her beautiful and peaceful countenance._

_Beautiful, Yes...but Mine?_

Jadeite's handsome face was suddenly creased with a gloomy expression as he contemplated on that particular question.  

He knew that it would definitely take a LONG and difficult time for Rae to get used to his presence.  As a doll, yes, she already did, but as a full-grown warm-blooded male who happens to have a not so respectable past?  That still remained to be seen however.  

Besides, wasn't she persistent in saying that she didn't give a hoot to him?

Jadeite smiled as he remembered the numerous times that his Rae would act as though he didn't exist and yet still had the time of day to wash his tiny uniform when it needed washing, or would sometimes whacked Serena on the head when she attempted to snatch him from her, or the fact that they always shared an embrace when sleeping.    

Rae shifted in her sleep and Jadeite stilled at the action, he feared how Rae would react if she found herself in a very intimate position with a strange guy. . .and ON her bed, for that matter.

Fortunately, the girl merely buried her face further into Jadeite's shoulder and nuzzled her nose in the crook of his neck.  Jadeite almost groaned out loud, for he wanted nothing more than to return the affection by brushing his lips in her forehead.  He stopped himself from doing so however and decided to go to sleep to retain his sanity.

"_..._G'night Jade_..._" Rae muttered in her sleep.

The surprised Jadeite stopped breathing for a moment, and then smiled.

_Oh, what the hell..._

Jadeite wrapped his arms gently around the girl and embedded himself further into the embrace.  He then closed his eyes and went to sleep.


	6. The Reawakening: Kunzite

Chapter 5: The Reawakening – Kunzite

A door opened, and out came a blonde wrapped in a large fluffy towel, her hair twisted into a towel bun to let it dry.  She then sat on the boudoir table and started putting on some lotion on her arms and legs.

Mina was happily humming a song as she finished doing her nightly rituals and stood to retrieve her night wear from her dresser.  It was a warm night and so she decided to wear a sleeveless shirt and a pair of shorts.

The girl was smiling as she recalled the events of the day.  That morning, she got a call from the company doing the play and was informed that they will need an alternate for the lead character.

Mina was speechless for she never expected that they would still opt to have her in the company considering that her performance was, as she thought, awful.  She learned however that the director was able to have a glimpse of her potential and thought that she might have the makings of a great actress if given the proper guidance and the chance to improve.  And even though she would merely be an alternate to the lead role, it's still one of the best things that ever happened to her.  

After stammering a 'thank you' to the director who even called her personally, she went and hugged her doll and jumped up and down in joy, shrieking her lungs out, before fleeing to the park where she met her friends for the picnic.

_...speaking of dolls..._

Mina glanced back at the object on top of her bed and pouted.  Keith wasn't wearing anything because his uniform unfortunately got wet due to two idiotic girls that afternoon.  And Mina somehow declined the idea of using the other dolls' dresses for Keith to wear.

The blonde laughed softly as she looked at the adorable doll with nothing but a pair of dark pants on.  She stood from her seat and walked towards her bed and lied down with her arms around the doll.  Her right hand smoothed down the doll's silver-white hair, devoid of its red ribbon for once.  Mina laughed as she raised the doll to have its face at level with hers.  

"I don't know why or how it happens but you always manage to lose your ribbon every now and then.  The girls told me they haven't been removing it, so I really wonder why_..." the blonde playfully tweaked the doll's button nose and giggled.  _

She really felt happy today: with the production, the afternoon picnic with the girls, - 

Mina glanced down at her doll, 

"The only thing that's missing in my life right now is a man,"  Mina spoke in a low voice.

_Funny, It's been a long time since I last said that..._

Mina then realized that for the past few weeks, she hadn't even thought of boys for that matter, which was rather odd considering that she was well-known by her friends as inherently boy-crazy.  

For Mina, finding the man of her dreams had always been a number one priority, even more important than acting, and that love is definitely on top of the list.  Hence, the constant flirting with boys and the recurrent number of scheduled and unscheduled dates in a week.  Most of the time, she had fun with the guys she dated, but she soon realized however, that she can't bring herself to love them as a boyfriend.  Strange as it seems, but most of her dates simply ended up being her pals and even some she referred to as 'big brothers'.  It never came to the point where she can truly say that the man was THE ONE.  Mina wasn't worried with this because she believed that she has yet to meet the man that she would choose to love for the rest of her life.

Unfortunately, that won't happen if she's been negligent in looking for that man.  

For one thing, she hadn't been to a date for almost 3 months now.    

_Man, I must be loosing it. . .what was I thinking?_

She again faced her doll and declared in a mock serious voice, "Keith, tomorrow, I'm going to find myself a man!"

Mina as always would then see a shadow of a scowl on Keith's face and laughed.  She then gave her doll a hug.

"Jealous, Keith?  Don't worry, you would still have me to hug you at night.  And you'll be the only one allowed to do that."  

The blonde then yawned delicately and rested her head on the doll, closed her eyes and said in a sleepy voice, 

"We'll always have each other, my love."

And off she went to sleep.

Sometime during the night, there was a slight and unusual change in the atmosphere.  A subtle but definite current of energy weaved its way towards the figure on the bed, enveloping the sleeping blonde as well as the form she's holding.

Slowly, the doll glowed with an eerie soft light and soon its form started to change.  Life gradually seeped its way into the veins of the once lifeless figure and soon the figure grew in size.  

The blonde girl, although very much asleep, somehow felt the change when her arms began to draw apart as the object inside them multiplied in size.  She mumbled and a delicate frown can be seen on her delicate face.  But as the figure finally grew to its full size, the blonde managed to accommodate the change by hugging its neck instead and drawing herself nearer to the comforting warmth, brushing her lips against it.

A sudden intake of breath can be heard as Mina settled herself comfortably in the embrace.

The recipient of that embrace however was not exactly in a very comfortable position.  

Kunzite felt the rush of electricity throughout his body when Mina's lips brushed his neck.  He tried controlling himself from swallowing the big lump on his neck and slowing down his breathing to relatively normal.

_Damn._

Kunzite almost let out a sigh in exasperation, he didn't expect to be transformed back to his normal size in this particular moment, within the girl's embrace_..._in bed_..._and bloody half-NAKED.

Kunzite closed his eyes and prayed that Mina wouldn't wake up.  They were so tangled up in each other's embrace that he feared any movement coming from him would definitely wake up the blonde and God knows he's not ready to face the consequences to that yet.

Kunzite stiffened when Mina's fingers at the back of his neck started to move and caressed him tenderly as she usually did even when he was just a doll while asleep.  

_Oh God...not now, definitely not now..._

The silver-haired man almost groaned out loud as Mina's fingers played with his nape.  Amazingly the girl was still very much asleep, unaware of the turmoil she was creating within the man.

_...love, please...please don't...,_

Kunzite thought as he clenched his teeth to refrain from making any sounds.  His hands were tightfisted as he tried to desist from touching the oblivious sleeping girl.

As if the girl heard his pleas, her hands stilled in its movement, and the man let out a soft relieved sigh.  His stoic face suddenly broke out in a mocking yet affectionate grin.

_Damn.  You always did manage to make me beg, you little witch._

Kunzite let himself rest for a few moments with his eyes closed and then opened them again to look down at their figures.

_Sigh.  Not even a strand of hair can come between us.  How can I move away then? _

With that, the tall young man resigned himself to his situation and simply rested against the blonde in their embrace.  He was very much tempted to bury his face in Mina's hair as its scent wafted through his nose.

_Spring...she always smelled like the spring breeze...even before..._

Kunzite's face suddenly became dark and serious when he reflected on a time long ago when he also had thought of Mina's scent.  

_Damn._

Kunzite was locked in some inner turmoil as he thought of his past where Mina once played a huge part.  

For several moments, the young man was lost in the sudden flow of memories that filled his mind_..._

_...the prince and the earth castle,_..._the engagement with the princess of the moon,_..._the first time he met the cold leader of the senshi_..._Mina frowning_..._Mina and their mock fight__...Mina smiling__...Mina laughing_..._Mina looking beautiful in her ball gown_..._their first kiss_..._their engagement__..._

Kunzite's lips twitched amusingly as he remembered his proposal to the goddess of love_..._the clumsiness,_..._the awkward moments,_ ...then the shout of joy and the giggles of an overly delighted girl. . .  _

They would have been married a few days after that_._

But a dark cloud came over that day -__

Kunzite then remembered the sadness, the despair and the fear,_ ..._the deceit, the pain, and the betrayal_..._the time when he almost went over the edge and killed himself because of what he did_..._

He remembered it all_...and Mina,_..._he remembered Mina weeping_.__

Kunzite was frowning and his jaws clenched as he remembered the past_..._

But before the usual guilt and self-pity he often felt after thinking of such things, a whimper was heard.

Kunzite snapped out of his reverie and discovered that he was so intense in reminiscing that he tightened his grasp on the girl's delicate form.

With a silent curse, he loosened his embrace on the girl's form and prayed that she wouldn't wake up with bruises all over her body.  Intending to distance himself from the girl, he slowly moved away carefully.

But the young woman seemed to have other plans in mind, even in slumber.

Mina started whimpering when Kunzite moved himself further away from her.  The girl immediately tightened her hold on the young man's neck and buried her face further in the crook between his neck and shoulder.

Kunzite stilled himself for a moment hoping that the girl's grasp would eventually loosen up, but never did.

"Don't leave me_..._"

The young man stopped breathing upon hearing the words coming out of the young woman's lips.

He waited, but she said nothing else, nor did she wake up.

Kunzite sighed, then smiled gently.

"I won't leave you, I promise_...not this time_..._," Kunzite whispered and without even caring if she would wake up or not, gave the girl a kiss on the forehead._

Kunzite then suddenly felt tired, and closed his eyes to rest_..._

As night grew deeper, two forms were seen having the most restful sleep they ever had_..._


	7. The Reawakening: Nephrite

Chapter 6 – The Reawakening – Nephrite

The sweet chirping of birds can be heard as more sunlight filtered through the windows, spreading the rays and giving the illusion of hands reaching out to the bed, like a handmaid aiming to wake up her lady.

For indeed a beautiful dark-haired lady is sleeping on the bed, her slightly wavy brown hair was spread out on the pillow_...intertwined with another's mane of russet brown_...__

Lita's nose twitched as a strand of hair seemed to be tickling her in sleep.  Eyes still closed, a hand reached out from under the covers to remove the offending thing from her face.  

After getting rid of the hair tickling her nose, she then buried her face further into the pillow and returned her hands back under the covers_..._

_...and touched something warm and solid_.__

Lita's mind suddenly woke up to the strange sensations she felt and with urgency opened beautiful green eyes to look_..._

_...at a pair of aquamarine pools,_..._opened widely, set in a face of a startled young man_...__

Lita's heart lurched and her body seemed to follow that instinct as she removed her hands from the man's chest and jumped out of bed, to which a shriek was heard coming from her throat, still dry from sleep.

Her blanket was wrapped around her as she stared back at the young man still cursing silently on her bed who then looked at her with seemingly confused and pleading eyes, and yet his face seemed. . .determined somehow.  

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" the girl shouted as she stepped back further away from the bed, and from the form with the long wavy brown hair who was starting to stand up from the bed, slowly though so as not to frighten the young woman.

_Damn!  Damn!  Damn! __I overslept._

Nephrite was cursing himself for being careless and not getting up earlier than Lita to avoid a situation he's currently in right now.  He knew this would happen.  

After being transformed back to his normal size late last night, still in Lita's embrace, he knew that such an encounter would happen if he's not extra careful in dealing with it.

At that time however, he wasn't that overtly worried because the girl seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber and would not have woken up any time soon.

Add that to the fact that he was enjoying himself quite immensely in the girl's embrace.

_I enjoyed it TOO damn much apparently._

Nephrite was planning to get out of the bed before dawn but_..._

"I said who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my room?...Oh God, did we_..._?"

Suddenly Lita's mind started rewinding furiously, trying to recall the events pertaining to yesterday and last night – to somehow figure out how the mangy 'pervert' got into her house, in her room, and on her bed.  With horror, she tried to grope her mind for kisses and caresses, even a scene of her flirting to someone she passed by,. . .but found none to her memory.

Nephrite himself was also appalled at the line of thought the young girl in front of him was leading to.

"NO!" He shouted firmly that Lita jumped a little at the vehemence in his voice.

Nephrite tried again in a softer voice, "No,_...I mean we didn't__...do anything,_..._we, Oh God, Lita I'm really sorry_..._"_

A gasped interrupted him, 

"Y-you know my n-name_..." Lita's eyes widened at the knowledge that the strange guy knew her name even thought they haven't met formally, and this added to her nervousness._

Nephrite, anxious and afraid for Lita, tried to think rationally on how to deal with the situation at hand.  

Damn. He was supposed to leave early. . .he was supposed to get out of her house and started living on his own,. . .he was supposed to get a decent job, a nice comfy place, and a driver's license,. . .and then, when he's finally ready and settled, he was supposed to drive back to her place. . .knock on her wretched door,. . .sweep her off her feet, and give her one big squishy kiss, after which, he was supposed to get slapped, then things can go from there. . .it's going to be hard, heck it's going to be BLOODY hard,. . .but then she will be HIS. . .

But now,. . .he's damn lucky if he could even get enough money to pay the hospital medical fees after Lita's done with him. . .  

Nephrite looked at Lita carefully and started gambling on what spare luck left for him.

"Look, I know you're confused right now, but so am I.  Why don't we_..."_

Nephrite stopped talking when he saw Lita rushed towards her bag, fumbling through it while not letting her gaze waver from the young man.

"Hey, what's wrong?  What are you doing?"

His answer was a pepper spray set a few feet in front of his vulnerable handsome face.

"Aww, damn."

"One wrong move buster and you're gonna get it," Lita threatened in a no-nonsense voice.  Her eyes blazed with fiery determination, her hands firmly holding the spray in place, not even breaking a sweat.

. . .it was then that Nephrite fell.

And boy, did he fell. . .

He fell all over again.   

_[Start Flashback}_

_"...one wrong move, my lord, and you're gonna get it."_

_"Don't you think that's a bit...exaggerating, princess."_

_"No, my lord, besides, it won't be my head that's going to get severed anyway...," the lady smirked at the young man._

_"Yes, you are quite right, my lady, but then, getting my head severed would then be unfavorable to you..."_

_"Oh, and why is that, my lord?"_

_The young man stepped closer to the young woman still holding the knife near his neck and bent down until his nose was almost touching hers._

_"You'll have to go through the rest of your life without my lips upon yours...," then kissed the young woman gently on the mouth, her arms encircling his neck, the sound of steel hitting the ground unheard by the oblivious couple. . .the mock fight and the training forgotten. . ._

_[End flashback]_

The piece of memory was so sudden and so intense that Nephrite's eyes glazed for a moment.  His mind still very much embedded at the back of his head, where the sweet memory of long ago was deeply and forever etched.

Lita, on the other hand, was hyperventilating her heart out, and can't seem to think straight.  

All she could ever think of, was a way to get rid of the tall damn, drop dead gorgeous double damn, half-naked damn myself to Hell young man in front of her.

Then and only then, will she try to figure out how he ended up in her room, AND (she blushed delicately at the thought) in her very cozy bed.

Lita was cursing at herself silently as she condemned her "feminine" thoughts on the handsome brute in front of her.

Nephrite looked up and saw Lita muttering under her breath, and he swore he heard the words "naked" and "hell" altogether.  The young man almost grinned at the girl's behavior, but his smile got wiped off his face upon seeing the girl raised her head, a particularly irritated scowl on her face while her shoulders were taut and tense.

He looked into her eyes and right before he surrendered to his impending fate of getting clobbered by a beautiful and magnificent warrior with striking green eyes_..._  

He knew he was already done for_..._

. . .but then, of course, being a very MANLY piece of humankind, clobbering him won't be such an easy task to do, even for a very electrifying and beautiful warrior. . . 

. . .who despite those heated sparkling emerald eyes, lies beyond, a longing for her mate. . .

  __


	8. The Reawakening: Zoicite

Note: This chapter is longer than the others. J

The senshi's are starting to recollect their memories in longer periods, have decided to start with Ami's.

Enjoy!

Chapter 7 – The Reawakening – Zoisite

Two words.

Oh, Shit.

Those were the very first words that were conjured up in Zoisite's mind when he finally completed his transformation from a cuddly stuffed toy, to its life-size and very much warm-blooded counterpart.

The cause of such blatant swearing was attributed to the atypical fact that, at this very moment, this particular young man was lying on a charming four-poster bed located in the middle of a delightful and VERY feminine room, AND. . .

. . .well, he was also lacking the usual attire that one normally had.

In other words, his dear Ami has decided, of all days, to be the sweet little senshi she was, and washed the uniform of the adorable little general, from TOP to BOTTOM.

Ergo, the young man was left (thank God) with only his white boxers on, and ONLY because this particular article of clothing was, still clean.  

Zoisite at the moment wasn't particularly in a rational and calm mood, and was currently maximizing his vast knowledge in the arts of blasphemy and highly developed profanity.

He shook his head in exasperation and attempted to somehow refrain his heart from suffering total cardiac arrest as it cannot seem to stop beating wildly.

The implication of his sudden transformation from doll to man had finally sunk in his currently dazed mind.

He's in deep shit.

The sounds of rushing water from inside the closed bathroom door served as a death toll for the young blond, reminding him that the young blue-streaked haired woman was still very much within the vicinity, and hence, a shocking encounter might occur if he doesn't get his cute little butt out of the room pronto.

Then again, where the hell was he supposed to go?  And wearing only a rather, er, pathetic scrap of clothing.  

Damn.  Damn.  Damn!  Why of all days. . .

Before Zoisite could finish whatever it was that he was thinking, the sounds of flowing water had stopped, and with it, the beating of his heart as well.

SHIT!!!

Zoisite in desperation, quickly rose from the bed and ran towards the opened window.

As soon as he perched on the window, ready to jump out to the lawn in front, he was faced with a more disastrous predicament.

For at this very moment, who else could it be at the front of the house mowing the lawn nonchalantly just like any other normal day but dear old Ami's mom.

Aw, SHIT!!!!

Following the momentarily silence from the other side of the bathroom door moments ago, the rattling of a doorknob being opened can be heard.

The young blond was definitely having a very bad morning. 

With no options left, Zoisite decided to forego jumping from the window knowing that the picture of an almost naked young man coming from the window of one's daughter could probably trigger one bloody heart attack for any respectable mother.

And with sweat slipping furiously down his forehead, Zoisite made a mad dash towards the door that will lead to the hall outside Ami's bedroom.  

Zoisite was indeed lucky to have thought of doing such because the two women were the only ones in the house and he could probably have more chances of hiding in other areas within Ami's two-storey house, without being found out.

Zoisite, almost smiling, ran swiftly towards the bedroom door just a few feet away and situated perpendicular from the rattling bathroom door. 

Damn.  That was close.

Then again,. . .maybe not. 

For lo and behold, by some wicked twist of fate, the poor boy somehow lost his footing when he stepped on a Persian rug just in front of the bathroom door, a few feet away from the bedroom door that was supposed to lead him to his salvation. 

With a yelp, Zoisite felt himself slipping, and attempted desperately to keep his balance.

Instinctively, his arms reached out to the closest hard surface he could brace himself into.

With his muscular arms stretched, his lithe body was aiming to bump against, of all rotten luck, the bathroom door in which at that fated moment, was being opened by a young, freshly-showered beautiful woman.

And Zoisite, who was aiming to ram against the hard wooden door, instead, found himself falling into a very soft, very wet, and VERY sweet-smelling, embrace.   

Ami, the young woman who was the recipient of what would have been a delightful embrace under different circumstances, gasped and instinctively gripped the sink behind her in order to stop herself, and whatever it was in front of her, from falling in the hard bathroom floor. 

After both bodies have stopped from moving, both heads looked up to gaze to the other person in mute shock.

For one brief moment, Ami's powerful mind refused, I REPEAT, adamantly REFUSED to perform whatever function necessary to process the input that she has just been presented with.

For like any other encounter with an un-chartered territory, one tends to hesitate in stepping over that thin line between familiarity, and that of the unknown.

And in this case, it was definitely, ALIEN territory.

In other words, our dear little Ami, has finally discovered what it feels like to NOT have the answers to this complicated and thrilling theorem of emotional geometry.  

Besides, how would one normally act under such circumstances?

In fact, why was it that she hadn't screamed yet?

She ought to have been screaming bloody murder at the young man for trespassing into her domain – her house, her bedroom, and by God, her VERY private bathroom.  

Not to mention the fact that she was very much naked under the terry blue bathrobe she's wearing, and who's front have started to loosen its knots.

Then again, if a sinfully handsome half-naked young god had just materialized before you, how should a lovely humble mortal like our dear heroine act?

The young man, on the other hand, was stumped.  

But then who could blame him in his position?

In the embrace of his sweet Ami, one could not help the rush of emotional overflow in one's being when placed in such a pleasant situation.

For one wondrous moment, Zoisite looked into the dazzling azure eyes of the young woman in front of him and suddenly found himself drowning in their depths.

And in his submergence to such depths, it is not unlikely that memories of long ago, embedded in both subconscious, would eventually resurface.

Zoisite, who had no proper control of his facilities at the moment, found himself leaning towards the blushing girl, and unconsciously uttering words from long ago in a soft voice.

"Honey." 

At the mention of that one word, both individuals gasped simultaneously.  

With widened eyes, both Ami and Zoisite were pulled by invisible hands of reminisce, as they both discover the amazing tale behind that one very simple word from long ago. . .

[Start flashback]

Princess Ami was indeed in a very dire dilemma.  

She was at the moment perched on top of one of the huge branches of a lone magnolia tree located in the middle of the grassy field overlooking the splendid moon castle.

A few feet away were high sturdy-looking wooden fences erected for the purpose of keeping something out, or in this case, something in.

"Oh dear, me and my stupid fancies."

Princess Ami shook her head in vexation - and utter frustration.  

For you see, the young Mercurian princess found herself fancying the fine wild stallion that the young and brazen Lord Zoisite brought to the moon kingdom a few days ago during another one of Prince Endymion's visit to his beloved Princess Serenity.

Lady Ami found herself itching to replicate the fine horse into charcoal and paper and had finally decided to give into her yearning, and draw the handsome stallion.

Being the shy princess she was, she would rather not have Lord Zoisite learned of her secret desire.

For one thing, she found herself quite uncomfortable in the dashing lord's bold presence.  

For the past few days, it seemed that the handsome young man had made it his personal agenda to make certain intimate advances towards the meek princess.

Lady Ami often found herself talking to the young man, but the way the prince was staring at her, and in quite a blatant matter, made the young girl's gentle heart palpitate furiously – something that Lady Ami never experienced before.

Besides, it was rumored that in his kingdom, Lord Zoisite was told to have a number of women who found him quite irresistible.  

And Ami had no plans whatsoever in being included in their numbers - who have reached a whopping ninety-five percent of the female population.

Hence, ever since, Ami had been wary of the Lord Zoisite.   

Unfortunately, it could also be her undoing.

That morning she went out secretly in the hopes of finally drawing the magnificent stallion.

Upon reaching the meadow, she sighted the wild stallion confined within a large fence erected around the superb creature.  

Like a moth drawn to a flame, Ami was not satisfied with the distance between her and the stallion and so without thinking rationally, pushed herself rather unlady-like through one of the larger gaps of the fence to be able to settle herself nearer to the horse.

Seeing that the wild horse was still too far away to sketch in detail, Ami came nearer to the creature until finally she reached the lone magnolia tree in the middle of the meadow.

Now, like all wild creatures of nature, when an outsider decided to trespass one's territory, the creature concerned tend to act on its animalistic instinct to protect its terrain.

This particular wild stallion was no different.

Upon recognizing an unfamiliar figure nearing, the stallion started snorting heatedly and kicking its rear limbs up into the air.

For a moment, the princess was awed by the powerful display of such magnificence.

Wonder however, turned to dread, when she suddenly felt that such display was not of a cordial nature.  

Most especially when the creature in question started trotting furiously towards the young princess.

Ami, who despite her innocence, was well known for her quick thinking and her agile combat movements as a result of the senshi training.

Swiftly, she leaped into the air, caught one of the lower branches of the magnolia tree, swung herself upwards and settled into one of the upper branches.

Looking down, she found herself looking at the irate horse who had now decided to circle around the tree to somehow dispel its frustration, kicking its long limbs into the air, and snorting rather loudly.

Ami smiled at the display and found herself a comfortable niche among the branches to sit on.  She then proceeded to draw the stallion.  

And for that, Ami felt like she was in heaven.

Ami was in hell.

It had been hours since she sat on one of the thicker branches of the tree to draw the handsome stallion.  She had already drawn several sketches of the fine horse, and was quite ready to retreat from her mission.

The stallion however had other ideas.

Every time Ami was on the act of going down the tree, the stallion started acting riotously again, kicking and snorting in the air.

And because of that, Ami was a bit apprehensive in stepping down from the tree.

Looking behind her, she noticed that the stretch of land between the tree and the fence is quite vast.

A run for it would be dangerous.

And currently, Ami was indeed getting desperate.  

For one, it was awfully warm and beads of sweat are starting to run down on her lovely face.

Add that to the fact that she hadn't eaten anything yet since early this morning when she left the castle.

This was definitely not good.

The young princess bowed her head in dejection and irritation.

Argh!  How foolish was I to act without thinking about this thoroughly?  Darn.

It was then however, that not so distant sounds of a trotting horse can be heard nearing the meadow.

Face brightening, Ami sighed and thanked the gods for sending her an angel to aid her in this situation.

"Tsk, tsk.  Honey, you've got to stop teasing my stallion."

Or maybe, the devil himself decided to come and torture her some more.

Ami's heart quickened at the husky sound of her rescuer's or maybe tormentor's voice, and turned around to find indeed that the presence she dreaded the most was indeed the one speaking.

Lord Zoisite went down gracefully from the beautiful horse he's been riding on and casually leaned onto one of the fence's ledges, all the while gazing at the beauty sitting on the tree, an amusing smirk on his very handsome face.

The teasing grin he blatantly displayed, added to the fact that she already felt wretched, somehow made the usual meek Ami fuming.

"Teasing?!" Ami asked indignantly.

"Precisely, Princess.  'Tis here Beauty had been snorting loudly for the past few hours.  Can't blame him though, with you being out of reach and all.  If you're not teasing him, then why are you sitting pretty up there?"

Ami was having difficulties in attempting to explain her situation.

"I-I wasn't teasing him. I mean, not that I did it intentionally.  I was trying to draw him."

"Oh. Well.  Then you don't need me."  Zoisite turned around and moved towards his horse.

Ami panicked.

"Wait, my Lord!"

"Yes, Honey?"

Ami was getting quite uncomfortable, the endearment was giving her the shivers.  A few days ago, the young prince decided to 'baptized' her with the name 'honey' and was not even a tad abashed at his forwardness.

Besides, the other generals and senshi seemed to think that it was quite amusing for a brazen lord to woo a lovely shy princess.  

Ami on the other hand, was not amused.

"Y-you can't just l-leave me here."

The handsome young man turned around to face his princess.

"Did you happen to notice that this fence was rather sturdy in built?  Wasn't that a hint that something was being kept in. . .or in this case, out?"

Ami blushed prettily.

Zoisite felt his heart clenched at the beautiful rosy-cheeked princess.

Oh hell, Sweet Damnation.

Ami muttered in response, "Well,. . .I suppose."

"Smart girl.  Now our dear wild stallion over there had enough to mull over his wicked little brain without some luscious young princess offering herself as a virgin sacrifice."

Ami gasped huffily,

"B-but, I don't want to be a virgin –"

"Good."

" – sacrifice."

"Oh."

Darn.

"So you're waiting for a knight in shining armor then?"

"Yes, please send for Lord Gregory"

Zoisite moved impatiently. "Sweetheart, you've got to give up on Lord Greggy.  He's going to marry Lady Molina as soon as she gets over me."

Ami's left eyebrow rose.

"Oh, so she's one of the ninety-five percent I see."

"Yes." Zoisite sighed gustily. "It's something all the girls have to go through, like chicken pox.  When they get a dose of me young, they get over me in a reasonable time."

Zoisite then gave a wicked smile.

"But honey, when you catch me, you're going to get a chronic case because you will NOT get over me, and you know why?"

Ami shifted on her perch uneasily at the teasing way the young man was looking at her.

Zoisite continued, "BECAUSE I'm going to encourage you."

Ami was indeed quite piqued.

"I beg your pardon?!"

Zoisite merely gave a mysterious smile, then waved his hand as if dismissing the topic.

"Anyway my Lady, what would you give me if I distract the old rascal?"  Zoisite said, pointing to the wild Stallion still trotting back and forth.

Ami thought for a moment.

"Um, well, you will be amply rewarded monetarily for your efforts my lord." 

Zoisite scoffed. "Money!  I don't need money.  I have lots of those back home."

"What then, my lord?"

It was then that Zoisite looked at her seriously.

"A kiss."

Ami was flabbergasted.

Zoisite continued.

"A nice big sloppy kiss.  All rescued maidens reward their knights with a kiss."

Panicking Ami replied, "T-that's not true."

"Yes, it is, my dear," Zoisite insisted wickedly.

"No.  They give their rescuer a scarf, which is then tied around their arm."

Zoisite started turning around.

"My lord!"

"Yes, sweetheart."

Ami was hyperventilating at the thought of having to. . .reward the dratted man.

"Oh,. . .all right."

"You promise me a kiss?"

"A. . .k-kiss then, my lord."

For the first time, Zoisite dropped his suave expression, and smiled tenderly at the young woman. 

He then turned towards his side and kneeled down.

It was only then that Ami realized that another creature was sitting beside Lord Zoisite, and it was a hound dog.  For a moment, Lord Zoisite seemed to be communicating with the canine, until finally he stood and faced Ami.

"Be prepared to run swiftly, my lady."

At the sound of a bark, the lithe form of a canine can be seen scampering towards the stallion as it came through a gap in the fence.

Immediately, the wild stallion gave chase to the hound dog.

"NOW!!!" Zoisite shouted.

Princess Ami needn't to be told twice.  With a graceful leap, she dropped to the ground and ran towards the gap of the fence that would separate her from the angry stallion, her drawing materials clutched to her chest.

The wild stallion turned back and neighed angrily to discover that his 'quarry' had finally escaped.

The hound dog also ran back to the fence and went through the hole like Ami did, into the safety of the other side of the fence.

Ami laughed merrily at the sight of the irate stallion at the same time felt the sudden rush of adrenaline coursing through her small body.

Zoisite too was also grinning and reached out to pat his pet on the head for the feat accomplished.

Ami too kneeled down, gingerly picked up the dog's head and kissed its forehead.

"What are you doing?"  Zoisite asked incredulously.

"I've just kissed my rescuer."  Ami replied, still laughing.

"Oh, Hell!" Zoisite kicked a stone on the ground and glared angrily at his former pet now turned rival.

Ami laughed happily as she attempted to stretch out the kinks and cramps from her body.

Zoisite's eyes darkened at the sight of the beautiful princess stretching.  He then moved nearer to the princess.

"You, my lady, owe me a kiss."

"I do not.  You're lovely dog rescued me."  Ami stepped back.

"I was behind the plan. . .the strategist, the brain. You owe me, sweetheart." He moved closer.

Pushing back her hair that kept on getting in her eyes, and looking utterly lovely in doing so, Ami opened her mouth to defy the brazen young man.

Only to found herself in a warm embrace.

And was being kissed silly. 

Ami was definitely shocked, and started to struggle against the hard body pressed against her.

But her little heart was distracted by the delicious sensations created by the passionate kiss.

It was then, that the shy and meek Mercurian princess had her first kiss,. . .in the embrace of her first true love (which she doesn't know yet). . .in their first lifetime. . . 

[End Flashback]

Mrs. Mizuno had just finished mowing the lawn and had just entered the house to wash up.

Walking upstairs towards the second floor where the bedrooms were located, Mrs. Mizuno passed by her daughter's bedroom and stopped a moment to knock on her door.

"Ami sweety, I just finished mowing the lawn.  Let's have our breakfast now."

Mrs. Mizuno waited for her daughter's response, but didn't get any.  With a frown on her face, she knocked again.

"Sweety?"

A door being closed and a few footsteps were then heard from the other side of the wooden door.  A few seconds later, it was opened by a newly-showered, and very flushed, young woman.

"Oh Hi Mom!"

Mrs. Mizuno just smiled.

"I see you are all flushed. Just had a shower huh?"

Ami at first was startled, then laughed.

"Yes mom.  The water's really nice."

"Well, I guess I better have one too.  I'll just come down after I'm done.  In the meantime, you can go right ahead, ok?"

"Sure mom."

And with that her mom walked towards her own room to take a bath.

The young woman then immediately closed her door, and turned swiftly around.

The young man was gone.

The bathroom door which was closed a few moments ago was now wide open – and empty.

Ami's heart was beating wildly.

Just a few moments ago, she had just given the young man in boxers her first real kiss.

Oh. . .my. . .God.

The memory of the stallion incident was so intense that both Ami and the young man were compelled to relive the said memory in the present millenium.

Ami however, still had her mind reeling from all that happened.

Truth be told, she was still unsure of what took place in her bedroom.

Yet she can't help but raised her hand to touch her lips with the tips of her fingers as she recalled the passionate kiss they had just shared.

I just kissed a man. . .a naked stranger at that. . .but,

The young woman looked around, eyes seeking for the trim figure of a young man who moments ago, had her mesmerized.

Was it just a dream?

But it can't be.  His kiss was real, his arms around me were real.  He just can't be. . .

Still confused, Ami stepped towards the middle of her room and suddenly felt a draft in the air.

Looking to her right she noticed her opened window, the blue curtains flapping as it danced with the morning breeze.

Ami walked towards her window and looked outside, heart unknowingly yearning for that which was unknown to the mind, but not to the heart.

Where did he go?  Who is he?  Why is it that I felt I knew him?

Ami was fond of mysteries.  But this was beyond mysterious.

Here, her heart was involved.

And possibly, her whole life.

She braced herself against the sills of her window, looking out farther into the neighborhood for a possible glimpse of a figure of a young man.

But saw none.

But then a small piece of cloth was seen caught up in one of the sills of the windows.

Eyes drawn in a frown, Ami detached the piece of clothing, and looked at it closely.

And found herself even more confused.

It was a lapel.

Zach's lapel.


	9. Author's Notes Please Read

Hi!  
  
I was reading my first version of Ami's story and decided that I didn't like it that much. (  
  
Their story was a bit fast compared to the others. So I decided to change it a bit.  
  
I'm really sorry for the changes.  
  
Then again, I think this version is a carries a better development to the whole plot.  
  
Enjoy!  
  
I'll be uploading my next chapter soon. (  
  
Any suggestions?  
  
Thanks! 


	10. The Dark Shadow of Love

Note: *Please Read*

This chapter will be dealing a lot with Rae and her loved-ones - and boy, it's a LONG one (I'm not exaggerating here).  I am not exactly sure on how to portray her grandfather so bear with me on this (hehe, I also came up with a silly name for him). J

Oh, and one more thing, if the fanfic seemed to be lacking the usual plot (presence of bad guys or fighting evil, etc.), it's because I don't see why the characters cannot have a normal day-to-day living without having that HUGE obstacle of battling against the usual pompous blood-curdling antagonist. I mean, hey, in my lifetime, probably the biggest thing that ever happened to me was I had appendectomy 4 years ago.  And geez, I don't think the girls deserved to be under the knife like that for a plot. cringing

This fanfic was meant to portray the characters like any normal person living in this day and age.  You have the usual problems of finishing school, getting a job, getting through depression and the usual emotional rollercoaster of falling in love. . .and world peace. (haha, sorry I can't help myself, I was watching Ms. Congeniality this afternoon.) J  In other words, this is plain simple living.

Hmm, I've also decided that since I need to build up the characters, extensive developments will be done. Hence, be prepared for LONG chapters, and probably, a lot of nonsense. chuckled But then, please do inform me if I tend to become er, rather dull in what I wrote, okidoki? 

Also, I apologized for all the wrong grammars, inconsistent tenses and such.  I am such a lousy editor. snicker Any volunteers? J

I really appreciate all your thoughts and suggestions. THANK YOU!

You guys have no idea how happy I am that SOMEONE out there is actually reading this fanfic. sniff, sniff

Hmm, such a long note already, gotta go! Enjoy!

Chapter 9 – Dark Shadow of Love

"Granddaughter!  What the heck is taking you so long?  Get your charming little behind outta here right this frigging instant!"

Veins popping alongside his thick neck, the adorable little Grandfather Hino was, at the moment, bellowing at the top of his VERY healthy lungs for his lovely granddaughter to come out of the temple and into the front yard, where a. . .er, seemingly very important event is about to take place.

And without fail, an affectionate holler answered him in return.

"Ow, do stop your outlandish screeching, old man - you're such a big baby."

The "old man" was NOT to be beaten easily.

ESPECIALLY, to his one and only favorite granddaughter, and constant verbal sparring partner.

"Huh!"  Grandpa scoffed.  His beautiful wife will surely turn over on her grave if he allowed his passionate granddaughter to beat him in one of their notorious, for lack of a better term - "discussions".

With a devious sneer well-known only to the infamous Hino clan, Grandpa Hino bawled melodramatically, 

"While you're AT IT honey, do flush the toilet, ok?  The wind seemed to be picking up something - and well, me and the YOUNG LAD HERE are kinda feeling nauseous."  

Dreadful silence filled the tensed air surrounding Cherry Hills temple.

Grandpa grinned.

4. . .3. . .2. . .1. . .

"BAKAYEROU!!!"

Grandpa Hino laughed uproariously, and in the eyes of those who knew of the Hino's for quite a long time, seemed to gloat with obvious pride in his wrinkled eyes.

Right on cue.  That granddaughter of mine is indeed fine.

Turning around, the older Hino faced the visitor, who was also wearing a very amused expression on his young pleasing face, "A bit fiery isn't she?"

"That she is, my son.  That she is."  

And with nothing more than a firm nod, Grandpa Hino turned around and marched towards the steps that would lead him to the entrance of the temple.

"You better come up then.  She might be taking more time than usual so as to spite me with that remark I just rendered her with."

The older Hino chuckled.

"You can bet she'll be racking her lovely little head for a naughtier comeback.  And for that, you might need some pillows."

The guest, who heaved his heavy rucksack upon his broad shoulders and who sauntered forward to follow the smaller man, quirked an eyebrow in question.

"Er, and what would I need a pillow for exactly?"

The older man turned his head sideways, a feral grin on his craggy happy face,

"Why, I have you know my granddaughter is a great fan of the arts, and poetry, most especially.  Her way with words - "

The older man closed his eyes as if in bliss, while his weathered hands gestured dramatically.

" - will surely astound even the most - "

A loud thud followed by a sudden crash and a string of animated curses were heard coming from inside one of the rooms in the temple.

" – er, refined listener."

The old man's face crinkled in delight as another dose of expletives was heard coming from her granddaughter's room.

The young man grinned.

"You needn't worry about me hearing her swear and cuss.  I have gott- um, I mean, I can get use to it, well eventually." 

The older Hino stopped walking and turned around to face the young man.  He lifted his head towards the young lad and raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You're mistaken, young man.  The pillows were not meant for your ears."

"Nani?"

Grandpa was definitely enjoying this. 

"They're for your butt – for the inevitable kick in the ass you'll be getting from her once she figured out who you really are."

Jadeite face-vaulted at this.

"Hino-san. . ." 

Grandpa Hino, whose intelligent eyes betrayed the wayward laugh lines engraved in his face, gave the young blond a long, thoughtful look, before bestowing upon him a nod of satisfaction and a smile.

"Don't be discouraged." 

Jadeite scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Am I that obvious?"    

"I've lived a long time, dear boy."

Jadeite sighed and slapped his right hand flat on his forehead.

"This is going to be REALLY hard."

The old man snorted.

Despite the ludicrous banters and crazy antics he was well-known for in Cherry Hills, the older Hino possessed immense wisdom and a good sense of judgment that many have been privileged to witness.

His happy-go-lucky attitude and outrageous sense of humor might have been what made him famous and endearing amongst his friends, but it is his quiet intelligence and remarkable astuteness that made him the respectable temple priest that he is in their humble community.

Also, it's what made him stop from actually pulverizing the young man in front of him that morning. . .

- 3:32 a.m., Early Morning, Cherry Hills Temple – 

Hino Yamazaki, or better known as Grandpa Hino, was trudging rather clumsily as he mounted the steps in front of the temple entrance.

Humming a silly song he got from a downtown bar under his breath – accompanied by bouts of hiccups - Yamazaki opened the temple door slowly and quietly.

Hmp, don't want no banshee granddaughter of mine screaming her head off for disturbing her frigging beauty sleep.

After getting inside the temple, the old man closed the door quietly and tiptoed towards his room located at the end of the hall, just a few meters away from Rae's bedroom.

The older Hino sighed and was about to slide open his bedroom door to welcome the blissful embrace of slumber when suddenly - he felt IT.

The old man stopped moving - a shiver running down his spine, like cold fingers running along the piano keys from end to end.

Anyone could have mistaken it for a draft in the air, or blamed it to sheer paranoia of walking alone in a dark place.

But then Yamazaki was not *just* anyone. . .

Narrowing his eyes, the older Hino suddenly tensed and roused his once intoxicated mind and body to full alert, his paranormal instincts in a frenzied state.

He felt it.

An invisible tear in the atmosphere.

Small.  Probably closing already.  

But it's there.  He was sure of it.

AND, this is what terrified him the most - he felt it inside Rae's room.

Damn.

Yamazaki cursed under his breath and his heart began to pace quite rapidly.

With a focused mind and fervent will, he concentrated in gathering his chi and mentally preparing himself for the task at hand.

Hands tightfisted, he positioned himself right outside of his granddaughter's bedroom door - face drawn in an intimidating scowl and arms taut with tension and unreleased strength.  

He then slowly let his chi flowed out of him, sending the stream of his essence beyond the sliding doors of Rae's bedroom, carrying an unseen message to god-knows-what entity unfortunate enough to be inhabiting his precious granddaughter's room.

I Know. . .

It was unmistakably, a warning – subtle yet positive.  

Yamazaki was a very patient man.  And so he waited.

A few minutes ticked by, when the sudden swish of sliding doors being opened and closed, and gentle treading of footsteps can be heard.

Yamazaki stared at the young figure whose back is still turned away from him, the broad shoulders stiff and sounds of heavy breathing are emitted from the person's mouth.

Turn around, young man.

The figure sighed and straightened up, and with all the courage he could muster under such circumstances, turned around slowly so as not to appear aggressive to the shorter older man.

Jadeite was now face to face with Rae's grandfather.

And time stopped.

Cobalt pools meet purple-black.

One pair filled with trepidation, the other blank. 

For a few minutes, which felt like hours to the young blond, no one spoke nor moved between the two figures.

Yamazaki then gathered his chi – 

At which Jadeite closed his eyes in silent submission.

- and then without warning,

the older Hino relaxed.

The young blond felt the sudden calm and tranquility of chi, and opened his eyes to stare at the older man in confusion. 

Yamazaki smiled at the young man,

"What took you so long?"

- Current Time, Inside Cherry Hills Temple -  

Jadeite had the surprise of his life, no in fact – he was TOTALLY bowled over, when Grandpa Hino asked him that question very early that morning.

Apparently, ever since Rae came home with little Jadeite as a doll, the older Hino had already sensed a difference, a shift, in the quintessential level.

And although it was subtle, the old man became quite vigilant of his surroundings and most especially to his granddaughter.

At the surface, he retained the impression of a laid-back lazy old man, inside however, he was a wary spiritual warrior.

As the days passed however, he claimed to have *acquainted* himself with the chi possessing Jadeite's signature - without the young man even knowing of the faint prodding being done by the older Hino to his essence.

Damn, he's good.

The older man nodded his head to Jadeite,

"Your chi is remarkably potent – and would have been a formidable foe for me."

Once they had entered the temple, Grandpa Hino and Jadeite went to the dining room to have tea.  Both of them seated at the floor as porcelain cups filled with steaming herbal tea were placed in the low table in front of them.

Grandpa Hino continued passionately,

"But then, I also sensed a tranquil soul and a compassionate bearing in your chi.  I knew then that whatever higher entity that led you to us,. . .to my Rae, would not have sent such a being if its intent is to wreck havoc to my family."  

The older man then grinned mischievously.

"Besides, my granddaughter absolutely adores you."

The young man blushed at that, but rolled his eyes upward in mockery.  

"Oh yeah, she adores me alright.  Can't seem to get her hands off me – my poor neck particularly."

The young blond then sighed.

After the initial shock that morning, Jadeite and Grandpa Hino had sat down and discussed the young blond's situation.  Jadeite gave him a brief overview of the events pertaining to his condition and how he came upon in the possession of Rae.  

The older Hino listened attentively, nodding and grunting at the younger man's narrative.  There were lengthy pauses when Yamazaki Hino would look down and tap his nose in deep thought as he absorbed the information presented to him, after which, he would then ask some questions.

Grandpa Hino then asked Jadeite to leave.

The young man fell into despair.

At which, the older Hino just laughed and told the young man that the latter needed to take care of some things first.

"Like some DECENT clothing, for crying out loud.  Young man, those shiny things in your shirt are the things of the past.  My GOD, sequins!  Don't nobody taught you they're for GIRLS!"

Jadeite was indignant, yet relief shone in his blue eyes.

"They are NOT sequins!  They're decorative military implements!"

"Whatever.  Don't want no pretty granddaughter of mine be the butt of jokes when seen around with a circus clown around town, hmp!"

"Why you old – hey, wait a minute. . .s-seen with Rae?  Y-you mean,"

And with no other than a naughty chuckle, the older Hino proceeded in giving the younger man, a gameplan.

Jadeite was at first astonished at what the older man was saying.  Later on however, he had a wobbly smile on his handsome face, and utmost gratitude and affection shone in his eyes.  

He was then directed to go downtown to avail the things he needed for his further stay at the Cherry Hills temple, not as a doll this time, but as a *hehe* temporary help (and hopefully, a permanent resident).

Using the money Grandpa Hino SO generously *LENT* to him, Jadeite was able to purchase clothes (which he found rather baggy compared to his uniform), a new pair of shoes (which he claimed was too soft compared to his shiny leather boots) and several items of toiletries (which the older Hino found rather amusing when the younger man discovered a 'phenomenal' object called Gillette.)  

Of course, considering that Jadeite had been in Rae's clutches er, possession for quite sometime now, he had *somewhat* acquainted himself with all the modern stuff of the 21st century.

Then again, those he was familiar with WERE *female* stuff.  Er, not to mention *ehem*, the more delicate material possessions of any typical young woman in modern day Tokyo.

I mean, come on, could you REALLY blame the guy if his oh-so-fiery mistress decided to bring him along in the bathroom after the usual tug-of-war with the bubbly Serena?  He WAS a doll for crying out loud, how was he supposed to cover his eyes with his pathetic little, wonderfully immobile hands?  

You could have shut your eyes, idiot!

Jadeite berated himself. . .

well,. . .a little.

The young man laughed as he remembered his antics this morning.  He now faced the older Hino and smiled.

He would not allow himself to ruin this miraculous second chance.  He HAD to win his 'Firefly' this time, any bloody way he could.  

After thinking through the 'gameplan' though, Jadeite realized that Hino-san was right.

Rae needed time and space.  

Damn.

She needed to grow accustomed to his presence before he could even begin to woo her.  He would treat the beautiful young woman like a *gulp* - a friend.  

Gawddammit!

He would treat her as if he wasn't even a tad interested in her, or in romance.  He would treat her as if she were just. . .just another guy Bull!.  As if he didn't want to hold her gorgeous head in his hands as he kissed her mindless.  As if he didn't want to cuddle her and bury his nose into her luxuriant raven-black hair.

She was like no other woman he'd ever known.  She was so sleek, so graceful.  His body craved her.  So did his eyes.  His mind.    

Damn.

The young blond looked at the older Hino.

"It scared the hell out of me when I thought she'll accept, er, what's his name again? Yuu-yukishiro's, whatever, proposal.  Man, I almost peed in my li'l pants,. . .doll or no doll."

The older Hino sipped from his tea cup.

"She wanted to believe she was desirable."

Jadeite was stunned.

"And so to do that, she's gonna marry j-just like that?!"

"She had to prove to herself that she was attractive."

Grandpa Hino was firm, though there was a twinkle in his eyes.

Jadeite hesitated. "She didn't know that?"

"Nope, she still doesn't."

"My God, what can I do?"

"There had been no one," the older Hino stated truthfully.  "There never has been.  No one could tame her.  She's like a wild fawn.  You'll just have to be clever and patient."

"Does she know she loves me?" Jadeite smirked.

Grandpa Hino grinned, mirroring the young lad's expression, "Not a clue."

Jadeite grunted.  He had to be careful that no other man saw her that way until she was safely *ehem* in his arms.  He couldn't risk having a more attractive man have HIS Firefly.  

She was his.

She'd been his all her life.

And by God, he's gonna win.  Her.

Jadeite sighed deeply.

"Rae baby, YOU are such a pain."

She was indeed.

Sweet pain.

Agonizing pain.

Exquisite pain.

Damn!

How would he survive?

- Inside of Rae's bedroom - 

The young woman was kneeling beside the night table, one hand flat on the floor, the other massaging the bump on top of her dainty little head, as her loud cursing slowly quieted to mere angry mumbling.

"Dammit!  If I find that pesky little thing I swear, I'll. . .I'll – "

Rae, face flushed from anger, was for once, lost for something to say. 

"ARGGHHHH!!!!"

The fiery young woman suddenly backed out from her kneeling position under the night table, and sat on her knees.  Hands reached out to remove tendrils of soft dark hair from her rosy face as she breathed in and out slowly and heavily.

Eyes closed, she muttered a mantra while her arms crossed in front of her chest, 

"I will NOT let it get to me.  I REFUSE to let it get to me. I will NOT let *IT* get to me."

Suddenly, Rae gave out a deep and tired sigh.

Shoulders slumped she stood and walked towards her bathroom door.

She deserved a LONG soak in a bath.

It had been one heck of a day.

And night.

With both of her hands raised, she twisted her long luxurious hair into a loose bun and tied it securely in place.  Her bath was already prepared.

Undressing quickly, she carefully stepped into the tub and let her tired body rest in the warmth of lilac-scented water.   

Sigh.

Rae closed her eyes as she thought of the events that led to her current situation of utter frustration and vexation.

She remembered the events pertaining to last night's visit to the temple and the mysterious fire figure incident.  Although, she hadn't thought about it thoroughly last night, she will definitely do a lot of thinking today regarding that episode.

Rae had never doubted her encounters with the paranormal and had always thought that all the signs she gathered from her meditations are valuable and crucial to her and her friends' lives.  

They are omens.  Signs.  And hence, should not be taken lightly.

They were meant to signify an incoming event, or act as a guide in a making a very important decision, or even an indication of how things were.  Rae was very much fascinated with such things.

She always had this uncanny ability to comprehend even the most mysterious of signs and to somehow fit it in to life's greater scheme of things.

That ability was something she relied on totally and without fail, even when things seemed to be at their lowest and darkest, she would always reach into her inner self for answers to the unknown.

And without fail, she often got it.

Until now.

Damn.

Rae shifted her position in the tub to relieve the pain in her backside.

She woke up late this morning and had almost decided to stay in bed for the day, feigning illness to prevent her grandfather from pestering her with his idiocy and crazy frolics.

Rae's face suddenly brightened up as she recalled the bantering they just had this morning, she in her bedroom and him in the front yard.  

Of course, the walls surrounding the temple didn't hinder the two from getting their mockery across to the other.

Rae chuckled.

The old man was indeed getting more frivolous.

Too bad she's getting a bit rusty.

Sigh.

Add that to the fact that she was further infuriated by the absence of her doll.

Rae's forehead creased in a frown as she recalled herself looking for her doll right before she gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep last night.

She ALSO recalled however that somewhere between states of sleep and of consciousness, that she was hugging IT last night.

"I could have sworn I had it last night.  Where could the damn thing be?"

The sudden ring of a telephone shook the dark-haired beauty from her musing.

She cursed under her breath for the lousy timing but opted to get up and answer the phone.

With just a dainty towel wrapped around her sleek and wet body, Rae rushed into her bedroom just in time to pick up the phone on the 5th ring.

"Argh,. . .HELLO!"

"Well, and a good morning to you too, Ms. Grouch."

Rae groaned and rolled her eyes upwards.

"Hey, Lita."

Chuckles were heard coming from the other line.

"Hey, sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?"

"You did."

"Good."

"Nani?!"

"Hey, hey calm down, little flame.  I just need to, um, well. . .I. . .er, you see. . ."

Rae upon hearing Lita stammer from the other line, suddenly found herself becoming less pissed (oohh, strong words), and more concerned.  Brows furrowed in worry, Rae cradled the phone nearer to her ear.

"Lita?  Hey honey, you alright?"

There was silence on the other end, and then a sigh,

"Rae, I was just wondering if you could, um, - er, interpret the dream I had last night? then mumbling under her breath Although, I'm not even sure if it's a dream or not." 

"Huh?" Rae was definitely caught unaware.

Sure the girls have frequented Rae for a dream interpretation a couple of times in the past, but usually it was when they're in a group – and always for fun.

Lita's voice however, was like – what was that saying she kept on hearing? -'silent waters run deep'.

Her friend's voice had that kind of *calm* quality right now.

"Uh, yeah sure Lita, no problem.  What's it about?  Oh, don't make it too long though, I'm dripping wet in my rug right now."  

"You mean you're taking a leak?"  Lita asked oh-so innocently.

Rae's left eye twitched.

"Baka.  I just came from a bath, you dope."

Lita laughed.

"Well anyway, sigh It's kinda weird actually – I thought it was real."

"Dreams are sometimes like that, your subconscious tends to overcome all your senses so that you're tricked to think it's real.  Anyway, go on."

"Oh, well, see I woke up - in my dream that is. . .er, that's a bit confusing, isn't it? Well anyway, I woke up. . .and I-I found this guy lying on my bed."

A long silence filled both phone lines.

Rae can't help it – she lost it.  

She snickered.

Lita however, did not lose it.

"RAE!!!"

"Lita honey, I'm sorry but. . .chuckle, why in the name of all that's wonderfully good, are you worried about having a guy in your bed?  Even if it's in your dream?"

"Argh, I don't know!  I mean well, I did have tons of dreams before that included gorgeous guys in my lovely bed, and NO they don't necessarily involve what you're *obviously* thinking,. . ."

"You mean, no yoga?"

"Rae!!!"

"Lita honey, lighten up.  I am just trying to cheer you up.  You seemed obviously disturbed."

"Well I AM!"

Rae was quiet for a moment. 

"You ARE bothered."

"Sigh Well, anyway, when I woke up and saw this – this guy,. . .God Rae, he was beautiful.  I tell you Rae, I almost felt like hugging him and kissing him right then and there!  I mean, he was. . .he was sigh,. . .anyway, I jumped away and screamed at him, and then, he-he told me to calm down, but heavens!  How can I calm down?  The man of my dreams – wow, isn't that ironic, man of my dreams – was in front of me with all that gorgeous hair of his, - and then well, instinct just kicked in – I was a woman scorned!  I HAD to defend my virtue, at least.  And so I-I ran to my backpack and pulled out my trusty pepper spray and, and well, well, - I threatened him."

"What did you say?"

"I-I told him that if he do anything bad, that he's gonna get it. . ."

"And then what Lita?"

"And then, well this is where I started doubting that it was even a dream – you see, when I said that, I suddenly had another vision – I mean, is that possible? To suddenly have a vision within a dream? See?! I'm not even making sense anymore."

"Calm down Lita and just go on with what you remembered."

At this time, Rae was now sitting on the edge of her bed, her rug hopelessly drenched.

"And well, in my vision, it's him again – only, we're in a different place, or even time – coz we were wearing all those silly-looking frilly clothes.  And the same thing happened!  I mean, the same position, me threatening him and him just standing there.  But here, w-we k-kissed!  Good Lord Rae, we kissed!  And it was, heavenly!  And that's where the vision ended.  And then, that vision shook me so bad, I-I wanted it to go away, coz, I was really disturbed by all that's happening and so, and so I. . ."

"And what, Lita?" 

"I charged at him.  My goodness, the poor guy, I charged at him!  And as I was about to clobber him, I suddenly - woke up."

"You woke up at that moment?"

Rae heard Lita took a deep breath and let it all out. 

"Yes.  I found myself lying on my stomach on the bed and with drool running down my chin.  Ewww."

Rae smiled.  Her friend was going to be alright.

"Lita honey, that was one interesting dream you had."

"Damn right!  So what does that all mean?"

Rae face-vaulted.

"Shucks Lita, I really can't say yet.  I mean, sure I could already pick up some things about your dream and all, like maybe your subconscious is telling you to just forego the usual pepper spray and use liplock instead."

"RAE!!!  I swear, if I could be there, you'd be one extinguished flame by now." 

Rae snorted.

"Lita, look honey, dreams are one of the many mysteries in life that one should not take lightly, NOR too seriously.  I mean, sure they are great in providing us SOME hints about our lives, but if you really want to find answers from your dreams, you might end up chasing rainbows.  I mean, dreams are just extensions of our minds - not the core."

Lita sighed on the other end.

"I know Rae, but still it was one heck of a dream."

Rae relented, hearing the strange sadness in her friend's voice.

"Hey, how about I'll go and check it out later during one of my sessions?  Maybe I could pick up something."

Lita was immediately ecstatic.

"Oh would you?  Thanks a lot Rae, you're the best!"

"Huh!  You owe me one, Lita."

"Will a galloon of chocolate chip cookie ice cream suffice, Rae?"

"Hmm, noted.  That'll be payment enough for my services."

Right then, Rae looked down at her wet bed.

"Drat!  I take it back!  You owe me a new set of bedsheets, Lita!"

Lita just laughed.

"Thanks for listening, Rae."

"No problem.  Now leave me be, I need to soak in my bath, shrivel up and die wrinkled."

Lita chuckled.

Rae just smiled, happy for he friend.  And then she suddenly thought of something.

"Hey Lita, before you go, I'm just wondering - what made you think that it was not a dream, that it was real?"

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line - then an uneasy small laugh was heard, 

"Well, you see, it just seem so real to me, I mean, I was able to touch him even for just a moment. . .but I guess the clincher was, - "

"What Lita?"

" – um, this may seem, odd.  But I can't seem to find my pepper spray anywhere."

Rae sighed.  

She had just said goodbye to Lita, and boy, she really NEEDED to finish her bath.

That was a weird way to start a day.  I'll worry about it later.

The dark-haired beauty rose from the bed to trudge back to the bathroom.  

She was itching to get her hands on that new herbal shampoo she bought the other day, and no one, absolutely NO ONE is going to get in the way of her beautiful flowing soft hair!

Well, that is until,. . .NO ONE became SOMEONE. . .in this case, 2 SOMEONEs. 

The bedroom door, without warning, slid opened.

"Granddaughter!  What in bloody hell is taking you - "

For one brief moment, no one - not the dripping wet slim figure of the beautiful girl, nor the diminutive form of the elderly man, nor even the obviously appalled stature of a dashing young man behind him – moved nor spoke.

Jadeite was helpless against the onslaught of visual delight before him.  Never in his life did he envisage his Firefly to be so utterly beautiful even in a piece of ragged towel.  But there she was, beautiful, soaked – and very VERY red.

Uh-oh.

Jadeite never knew what hit him.


	11. The Dark Shadow of Love II

Replies to Reviews:

Chibi Sarcasm: Yup, Grandpa IS a bit of a loony.  That's because I wasn't really sure how he behaves, so I kinda made him up. Hehe. 

Regarding Rae's behavior, I am more familiar with the anime Rae, hence the teasing and joking stuff – I can't seem to find any mangas here in my place. Woe is me!

Bananagurl: Hope you got my email. ;-)

Angel: Thanks!  Sigh Still has a long way to finish though, hehe.

MagicMizzy(still on strike): Hehe, poor Jade indeed.  And with the way he and Rae met on this lifetime,. . .even I don't know what will happen! ;-) 

By the way, what's with the name - (still on strike)?

Slice: Glad you like the Ami episode. ;-)

Kaze no beru: Hello!!! My, my, what a small world!  Who would have thought that the creator of the fanart behind this fic would get to read this!  Your fanart was absolutely charming – upon seeing it, my hands itched to type a story.  Thanks for the inspiration! *Rain gives a tiny salute* ;-)

Iryl: Hahaha!  You naughty girl. . .hmm, that gives me an idea, hehehe.

K. Wyse: Thanks for the review.  I guess I was a little bit off (ok, maybe not just a little bit) - in the grammar and tenses, *snicker* that's what I get for sleeping in my English classes, hehe.

Yup, I did see to it that each senshi/shitennou will have different encounters with their partners.  I mean, having similar experiences tend to be TOO much of a coincidence. ;-)

Blue Quartz: Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence!

Lilian: Aw, shucks, you made me blush!  Thanks! ;-)

NOW, on with the story! 

Just a recap: (PLEASE READ!!!)

In Chapter 9 - Rae and Jadeite had just met in a rather awkward moment.  Rae, still reeling from the events of the previous night when she saw a figure in the fire; and Jadeite who after transforming to his human form, was befriended by Rae's grandfather.  The older Hino and Jadeite had a gameplan on how the young man will awaken the memories embedded in Rae's mind, and eventually, on how to win her heart, again.

Rae is a bit puzzled on the fire incident as well as the absence of her doll.  She also got to talk to Lita regarding the latter's so-called dream.

In Chapter 8 – Ami had just had an encounter with the lovable Zoicite in his boxers, and both were somehow pulled in a trance, memories of their first kiss remembered.  They were interrupted however when Ami's mom knocked on her door.  When Ami turned around after discussing a few minutes with her mom, the young man was gone.  A lapel was found attached at the window sill – and the blue-haired girl was left baffled.  Have yet to discover that her doll was missing.

In Chapter 7 – Lita woke up with a man lying on her bed.  After the initial panic, it was replaced by indignation at the young Nephrite for getting into her room, and into her bed.  She threatened the young man with pepper spray but a vision of him kissing her shook both characters to the core.  After which Lita charged at the helpless Nephrite – but (with reference to Lita's phone call to Rae) later claimed to have 'woken up' from her dream.  Like Ami, Lita has yet to realize that her doll was missing.  

In Chapter 6 – Kunzite transformed within the embrace of the sleeping Mina.  Upon learning that he could not really disentangle himself from the grip the girl had on him, he relaxed.  In the process, slices of memories came to him on how the couple was in their prior lifetime.  The chapter ended with the two of them sleeping blissfully.  

Notice that although the generals seemed to know the girls from their previous lifetime, the senshi have absolutely no idea that these guys are slowly fitting themselves in to their lives.  This is because the girls were reborn in modern day Tokyo with the memories of their past still intact in the farther depths of their minds, waiting to be 'reawakened'.  The generals however,. . .(My goodness, I'm almost telling the whole story here, better you guys continue reading.)

Chapter 10 – The Dark Shadow of Love II 

Note: Warning, this chapter is WAY too long.  And if you guys find the format of the chapter confusing, please tell me so that I could something about it. Hehe. Enjoy!

[I'm yours, always had been – always will. . .]

Mina suddenly opened her eyes and sat up jerkily on top of her bed – her breathing uneven, her sleek body covered in a thin film of sweat.

"Wh-what. . .what was that?" she asked in an unusual raspy voice.

In her awakened state, the last scene of the dream she had ebbed away into the farthest depths of her mind as reality seeped into her consciousness in overwhelming magnitude.  

Disoriented, Mina turned towards the source of her perplexed state.

It was her damn alarm clock.

Shaped like her pet cat -

- and screeching its head off like the banshee from hell.

Groaning in a rather unladylike manner, the young blonde reached out to turn off the blasted thing, murmuring under her breath about soon-to-be-dead 'dim-witted pet cats giving bloody alarm clocks for birthday gifts', and then returned to lie back again on her bed.

All the while, still dazed from sleep.

The young woman sighed as she let her gaze, still droopy from sleep, wandered to the walls of her charming bedroom.  The morning rays shone through the prisms hanging from the window ledge, creating beautiful arrays of colors covering the walls of the room like pastel wallpaper.

Mina had a delicate frown on her face.

The dream she just had was now but a mere blur in her mind, but she still felt. . .disturbed somehow, as evidenced by the goose bumps running along her arms and shoulders.

"What was I dreaming about?"

Automatically, her hands reached out for her doll, which was fast becoming her 'comfort towel' – 

-  but found nothing.

"Huh?"

With a confused look, Mina turned to look at the area beside her on the bed where her doll usually was.

Seeing that it wasn't there, the young blonde groaned.

"Rats!"

Obviously, her adorable little doll fell from her bed and was probably having a bloody wonderful time with the bogeyman under it.

Her dream somewhat forgotten, Mina moved and let half of her body hung in one of the edges of the bed, carefully balancing herself – hands stretched out to lift slowly the hem of her bed sheets to search for her cute little Keith under the bed. . .when,

"Mina honey wake up!" 

[BIG Sweatdrop moment here.]

With a yelp, Mina fell on her back on the floor with a rather, er – unhealthy *thump*.

"Owww!!!. . .Argghh,. . .Daadddyyyyyy!!!"

The young blonde heard her father's UNABASHED chuckling beyond her bedroom door and growled loud enough to put to shame any snarling fierce canine.

"Wake up sunshine!  I got your breakfast ready.  Ooh, wait till you take a bite of my scrumptious eggplant omelette honey.  It's sooo delicious, you're even gonna forget your name."

. . .literally.  Mina continued in her mind sardonically.

The young woman then sighed dejectedly.  She was currently facing the bedroom door, her back against the bed, her supple body supported by her right elbow and her left hand rubbing to soothe her aching backside.

Oh boy, another day for 'Survivor' Mina.

"Um, be right there daddy!  I'm just gonna. . .um, go to the bathroom – "

- and probably hang myself. 

A snickering sound was heard from her dad.

"Ok, sweetheart.  Better take a bath now,. . .I can smell you from way out here - and believe me honey, your aroma lacks a certain appeal."

Oh boy.

"DADDY!!!"

And with a few more parting chuckles, footsteps were heard moving away from the door.

Mina glared at her bedroom door and then sighed laughingly.

She loved her dad, and found comfort in his jovial behavior considering her mother's death a few years ago due to an illness that left them distraught for awhile.  The event was devastating for both of them, but because of their good-natured personalities and love for each other, they have learned to live happily again.

The young blonde then stretched her body like a contented cat, a satisfying purr coming out of her lovely lips, the hem of her sleeveless top revealing a portion of her well-shaped abs as it traveled upwards due to her lazy movements.

Sigh, today is going to be a BEAUTIFUL day!

And with a joyful cry, Mina gracefully rose from the floor – the doll momentarily forgotten – and reached out for the fluffy towel that was hanging in one of her light tangerine boudoir seats.  With the towel wrapped around her shoulders, the lovely blonde headed straight to the bathroom for her morning bath.

On the way to the bathroom, she happened to pass by her boudoir table where her large mirror was mounted at.  Instinctively, without stopping, the young woman glanced at her reflection on the mirror for a fleeting moment before she turned her head towards the awaiting, and sinfully-delightful tub.

Suddenly, the young blonde halted in her steps.

For several nanoseconds, her quick mind (normally used in memorizing boys' names and their phone numbers - EFFECTIVELY I might add) was able to pick up something during that one brief moment of looking at the reflection on the mirror.

. . .What the heck?!?

With a sudden jerk of her head - and graceful swerve of her amazingly lithe body – she faced herself once more in the mirror.  Her beautiful eyes darted in all directions, taking in every little detail reflected back to her.

Like all girls, Mina was entitled to have her share of what women referred to as their favorite sin – that oh-so delightful flaw called VANITY.  

In this case however, what made the young woman stopped had nothing to do with the sudden urge to take a glimpse of her beautiful face (good lord, she damn well knew that already!  Not to mention, half of the male population as well).

Nor did it have anything to do with the desire to check if her frequent visits to the gym have toned down her already fabulous body.

In fact, it had nothing to do with her looks AT ALL.

She didn't know why, but. . .

She just HAD to.

Stop.

There was something in the last scene she caught from the reflection on the mirror that made her want to,. . .

Mina's delicate face was scrunched in a small frown.

She knew that there was something – different,. . .out of place, not normal - heck, CREEPY even, about what she just saw.  

She was DAMN sure of it.

As sure as the bubbly 'meatball-head' Serena waking up late and rushing to school in one of her famous marathons EVERY bloody single day of her life.

And boy, you can't be any surer than THAT!

But what?

Mina's brain suddenly jumpstarted to reel in all that were processed at that moment – seeking,. . .hunting for that which made her feel this. . .disconcerted in the first place.

Heart beating wildly, the young woman continued darting her eyes back and forth, side by side, within the rectangular space where her mirror was placed.

She can feel it now - the usual excitement one had when approaching an answer to a mind-boggling question.

She had an image in her mind of a rock thrown onto a lake – ripples spreading out from the spot where the rock was dropped, reaching towards the rocky edges of the lake, causing the leaves on the surface of the lake to bob up and down because of the disturbing waves.

And Mina was definitely ONE disturbed, bobbing leaf.

She NEEDED that rock.

Mina narrowed her eyes as she attempted to search further into the depths of her mind - hopefully to regions where *boys* and their phone numbers were not occupying a large portion of it.

She cursed under her breath, her face distorted in a supposedly concentrated manner but came out almost comical – lower lip chewed and eyes narrowed twitchingly. 

Just a few more seconds, and her brain can finally point out the blasted source of all this turbulence. 

Then. . .a light bulb started to spark in her dainty little mind.

Mina cautiously glanced back at the scene in the mirror, where her cozy little bed was also reflected behind her figure, and realized that. . .

Oh. . my. . .God - 

"Mina honey, are you done yet?!"

The young blonde screeched in fright, jumping back from the mirror and at least a storey high.

And just like that, the light bulb flickered its last spark.

Mina slumped.

My God, the first ever logical activity in my pathetic little brain – and now it's gone! All gone!!!

And like the pretty actress she was, she leaned back in a rather melodramatic movement, her right arm covering half of her face in a seemingly desperate gesture.  A theatrical gasp came out from her lips – and when she wasn't satisfied with the first one, wheezed in exasperation.

Then a sudden knock on her door and a persistent voice coming from behind it, ruined her performance.

"Mina honey, are you alright?  What was that scream all about?"

The young woman danced her way towards the door and opened the door to find her fine-looking dad clad in a ridiculously looking apron, looking at her worriedly.

Mina smiled brightly and leaned towards her father to give him a kiss on one flour-covered cheek.

"Nothing, daddy.  Just, er, practicing my um, - shrieking. duh!  You know, for the part I got in the play, hehe."

And with that, the blonde let out a hair-raising, blood curdling scream 

– to prove her point, of course.

Mina's dad sweat-dropped at his lovely young daughter.

"Um, that's. . .*nice* sweetheart."

Eyes suddenly twinkling, he regarded his daughter with a teasing look,

"Well, I do hope that. . .I mean judging by the way you're er, um, *practicing* your screaming and all - that they are not planning on carrying out a bloody massacre on stage."

Mina's left eye twitched.

Her dad suddenly crossed his arms in front of his burly chest and looked at his adorable daughter wickedly, eyebrows rose questioningly – and in sheer amusement.

"You ARE playing the part of Beauty, aren't you sweetheart?  I mean, I TOTALLY agree that you're such a wonderful and *flexible* actress and all – "

Uh-huh. . .  

Mina's face contorted in a rather. . .ghastly manner.

Mina's dad then decided to be. . .nice.

" – but Honey, I DO *honestly* think that the BEAST suits you better."

Oh boy.

"DADDY!!!"

And with that, the 'beast' tackled its helpless 'victim' to the carpeted floor, with the horrific intent of tickling the poor man to his wretched demise.

Unbeknownst to the two engaging characters, the forgotten mirror – who, moments ago, was the unlucky recipient of a deathly glare from its lovely mistress - became a silent witness to a strand of silver-platinum hair slithering back farther under the so-called *beast's* cozy bed, slightly covered by the tiny flimsy drapes of the bed sheets edges – dormant, and still.

Waiting.

Kunzite was loosing it.

He was positively, unquestioningly, beyond reasonable doubt - LOOSING it.

He NEEDED to go, and boy, was he in dire need of a release right now.  

Not only was he compelled to follow the urgent commands being sent by his weeping bladder to his dazed brain to take a leak – 

Shit!

- but also by his overtly active hormones who OBVIOUSLY wanted to awaken SOMETHING else as well.

DAMMIT!

A few hours had already passed since that incident where he almost got himself bloody caught by Mina if not for the sudden (and very much welcomed) intrusion of her charming dad.

It was then that Kunzite started worshipping the older man – 

and cursing his exquisite offspring.

Who would have thought - that such a handsome giant of a man, who was well known for his rock hard countenance and cold intelligent stealth in dealing with military matters, and who could raise fear even in the most courageous and obnoxious of men – would ever end up cowering under a pitifully tiny bed, hiding like a quivering feeble rabbit?

And from what?!

Kunzite was trembling like a MAD rabbit - and continued cursing under his breath.

From one TINY, one FLIMSY young GIRL!!!  Arggghh!!!

Kunzite thumped his head on the floor – quietly, of course.

Although the young man wanted nothing more than drawing out a mallet out of nowhere and just whacked himself upside in the head, he didn't want to make the mistake of being found out yet. . .

. . .ESPECIALLY not at THIS moment.

Kunzite groaned as he raised his head a little to the left and peek through the flimsy bed sheet edges covering the undersides of the bed (and thankfully, concealing the young man under the tiny bed) - at the young woman sitting on one of the seats. . . 

- and almost whimpered.

The beautiful blonde, who had just gotten out of the bathroom after a relaxing soak in the tub (and who happened to NEGLECT closing the bathroom door before doing so), was now sitting in one of the boudoir seats – wearing a towel bun on her head. . .

. . .AND (sweet damnation!) seemed to be content in wearing ONLY that ONE blasted piece of cloth.

If only Kunzite was able to move his hands freely, he would. . .he would  –

- he would bloody get the dratted bed sheet covers out of the way!

And with that thought, the young man took a deep breath, and FIRMLY, MERCILESSLY - closed his grey hawk-like eyes and gritted his teeth.

Damn her!

Kunzite then recalled how in the world he ended up in his current state of humiliation and utter misery.

- Early Dawn, Mina's bedroom – 

The young silver-haired man was getting a little - NO, make that - EXTREMELY desperate.

It was almost morning, and still, he was very much imprisoned within the young woman's embrace – limbs entangled and hairs intertwined – beautiful gold laced with silky platinum.

One heart calm, the other in turmoil. 

Kunzite HAD to make a choice.

He MUST.

Or he'll end up - DEAD!

Slowly, he withdrew both of his arms from the young girl and gradually moved his head away from the young blonde's.

But before he could sigh in relief, the young man immediately felt the sudden tightening of slim arms around his thick neck and a whimper escaped Mina's pouting mouth.  Her body pulled itself towards the warmth that tried to depart from her small body. 

Aw Shit!!!

Kunzite was slowly loosing his patience - an amazing feat considering that he was iron will personified.

Indeed, if 'patience' was a man – Kunzite would have been a god.

Then again, even a deity would have been helpless before LOVE - as Cupid was to Psyche. 

Kunzite clenched his teeth but refused to surrender.  He knew that if Mina woke up in his arms – there would be hell to pay.

Not to mention, he was downright broke at the moment.

Dammit!

Kunzite sighed dejectedly.

And in his misery, he murmured wretchedly, eyes closed,

"Love, please. . ."

A few quiet moments passed.

And right before Kunzite opened his eyes – determined to finally move his body away from the sleeping girl, whether she allowed him to or not -

- something amazingly soft brushed his lips.

Kunzite almost jerked violently in astonishment but settled to stop breathing altogether instead.

He opened his grey eyes to see Mina – his lovely wonderful Mina – nuzzling him with her lovely lips, like she often did when he was still a feeble little doll.

But dear Lord, nothing prepared him for this.

Hell, he was no longer an immobile, numb little doll. . .

He was a full-grown MAN, for crying out loud!

A breathing, feeling, blood-pumping MAN!

With functioning sensory organs at that!

And the soft brushing of luscious lips against his, only made those sensory organs work WAY overtime.

And not to mention, he was bloody HALF-NAKED!

Kunzite, despite the overwhelming assault of delicious sensations throughout his body, STILL had a few sense left in his pitiful muddled brain.

He HAD to refrain himself from moving – from responding to the brazen (divine) oblivious (sweet) girl, and the delightful treat she's offering.

And he Damn well intended to!

Only problem is (ohohoho) - Mina's lips started getting naughty.

As if they found Kunzite's own somewhat different from past *meetings*, Mina's luscious lips was at the moment, er, renewing its familiarity with the warmer, more solid, and definitely more responsive mouth.  

Lips slightly opened, Mina started nibbling gently on Kunzite's lower lip – her shy tongue, occasionally brushed the rougher mouth, creating a delicious friction for both parties.  All the while, the girl's eyes were shut, soft moans emitted deep from her throat.

. . .

The mighty Kunzite had just died.

- Current Time – 

Kunzite gave out a deep sigh.

No, he didn't die. 

The young man snorted in mocked annoyance.

Yeah, merely fainted.  Good grief!  I almost BLOODY FAINTED!

And well, he would have if the exquisite girl hadn't suddenly stopped from deliciously torturing him and turned her back from him, releasing him in the process.

Mouth wide open, Kunzite merely stared at the back of the young woman who had just given him a turnaround, and (dammit!) was even purring softly in satisfaction as she snuggled back to the covers. 

He remembered hearing her murmured something though.

And upon hearing those words, Kunzite's heart clenched tightly.

He knew those words, knew them by heart.

And without hesitation, Kunzite slowly and carefully rose from Mina's bed and sat on the edge.  His head then turned to give the young blonde a last look, before leaning forward, getting ready to stand.

It was then that the silly girl's alarm clock set off.

Oh boy.

And that, was how Kunzite ended up under Mina's bed.

Mina was humming under her breath as she continued with her beauty morning rituals.

She was currently seated in front of her mirror – stark naked, if not for the towel bun on her head.

The young blonde had enjoyed her soak in the tub so much, that she had forgotten to use her bathrobe to cover herself up.

And she wasn't particularly eager to move from her seat yet to retrieve the said article of clothing hanging in her lovely bathroom.

Instead, after applying probably all beauty products known to a young woman at her age, she unwove the towel bun on her head and used the cloth to partially cover her body.

Mina then reached for her brush and proceeded to untangle her long silky blonde hair, raising her head to look at herself in the mirror.

Seeing her reflection on the mirror, Mina eyes suddenly glazed.

There was something about brushing her long blonde hair in front of her mirror that prod her mind to. . .wonder – to try to remember something.

Like an *itch* that needed to be scratched. 

Mina felt like a car that was ignited, but was choking on its obviously *misused* engine.

The young blonde shook her head.

What is wrong with me?!  I can't seem to shake it off!!!

Mina then lowered her brush on top of her dresser.

As soon as the object touched the surface however, a wisp of memory suddenly flashed in the young woman's mind.

She then remembered her dream.

The dream she had this morning.

Of a man.

- Start Mina's Dream –

Princess Mina was having some problems at the moment.

She's currently determining the word that which held prominence as the filthiest demeaning word in the vocabulary of any self-respecting daughter of royalty.

And boy, being the lovely daughter of the most amorous couple known in the moon galaxy – was no exception.

She might be lovable – but she can be more lovable with her sharp claws unsheathed. 

[Ouch.]

Princess Mina had finally made a choice, the foul term at the end of her lashing tongue.

Facing her adversary drabbed in crisp grey uniform and crimson cloak, Princess Mina uttered what would have been her greatest contribution to the history of womankind.

"You're rude."

Silence.

Then Lord Kunzite guffawed.  

He can't help it.  Heavens, he was supposed to be the frigid and daunting leader of the Earth generals.  His position taught him to be the cold and forbidding figure he was since young adulthood – silent and one who never laughed lest smile at anyone or anything at all.

But dear lord, He was chortling like a maniac.

And at a princess of the moon galaxy at that!

He had just bested the princess in one of their infamous mock fights in the moon palace training grounds.  

Ever since the earth prince and his royal generals arrived at the moon palace a few weeks ago for the engagement of the former to the moon princess, Lord Kunzite and Princess Mina seemed to have er, - developed a rather cool rapport with one another.

Both sides were wary of the other.

Princess Mina often secretly referred to the general as a *thunder* god.  Standing several inches over six feet, everything about him spoke of power and control.  ESPECIALLY of control.

Huh! The man was a frigging statue!

And more often than not, the man was almost always alone.  Although she can see how loyal and concern the young lord was to his prince and to his comrades, his free time was often spent on his own – and his comrades didn't seem to mind. 

Well, can't blame them. Mina smirked.

With intense grey hawk-like eyes and a sharply angled face, his broad stature projected a fierceness that even the leader of the senshi's felt trepidation upon meeting him face to face.

But the most fascinating and incongruous feature she found in Lord Kunzite was the small earring he wore in his left ear – shaped like a small hammer.  Definitely a mark of a thunder god – crushing strength and power.

All in all, a very dangerous animal.

And a VERY attractive one at that!

For the past several weeks, both were involved in volatile encounters.  Princess Mina, wanting to prove to herself that she was quite the strong and formidable figure she was, often found herself competing with the general, may it be in terms of battle or verbal sparring.  There were times when the princess prevailed over the general, but more often than not, she ended up as the sulky loser.

Mina sighed.

Maybe because she never was the competing kind.  In front of the earth people, she projected herself as the perfect leader, but other than that, she was the princess of love – cheerful and lovable in nature.

Unknowingly, during those times when she was just being the silly girl she was, a pair of intense grey eyes were following the oblivious girl. 

Lord Kunzite was indeed the domineering figure he was, but for the past several days, he found himself the one being subjugated.  As much as he found himself quite interested in the cool Mina, he was also drawn to the dazzling smile she often gave to the children she played with in the moon gardens.

Kunzite was never the dashing rake as Lord Zoicite and Lord Jadeite were.  But when he wanted something –

Looking at the princess however, he found himself smirking at the lovely sight.

The leader of the senshi's seemed er,. . .extremely upset by the loss in the mock fight they just had.

Who wouldn't?

He had just made the princess his personal slave for the day – a wager they had agreed on before the said mock fight commenced.

Lord Kunzite aided the young princess on her feet and smiled silently when the young blonde snappishly withdrew the hand he was holding and dusted off dirt from her battle uniform rather grumpily.

Straightening her figure and with a regal nod of her head, Mina regarded the taller stature with a grave countenance.

"Very well then, I shall. . .gulp y-yield myself to you for the day, within HONORABLE reason, My lord."

Lord Kunzite nodded solemnly.

Princess Mina rolled her eyes upward at the obviously *pleased* expression of the general despite the somber façade he's showing.

Lord Kunzite, despite the serious demeanor on the surface, can hardly control his amusement upon seeing the princess's expression.

She needed to be taught a lesson – 

- and yet this was one lesson that he wanted no other to be taught to.

Only her.

The young man's face suddenly moved nearer to the princess's own. Seeing the hawk-like eyes of the general, Mina suddenly felt constricted.

But she stood her ground.

She can do this!

And when the day is through,. . .SOMEONE's going to get bloody knocked-out!  Someone with silver hair, particularly.

Mina glanced up at the general.

"You know, My Lord.  I was told that it is quite. . .ungentlemanly for a lord to um, allow a lovely delicate lady to tender to his er, wishes."

Kunzite raised an eyebrow lazily.

"Really My Lady, then again, since when do I really give a damn on whether I was referred to as a gentleman or not, hmm?"

Good point.

She sighed, giving in to the inevitable.  Maybe *pleading*, *prostrating* and throwing herself at his feet wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"All right then, I will pl – " She lifted a hand to her slim throat, choking on the word. 

He chuckled.  He drew himself even nearer to the obviously uneasy girl. 

"Pl? Pl what?"

"Pl –"  The word absolutely REFUSED to leave her mouth.  She tried to scrape it off her teeth and came up empty.  Maybe prostrating would work better.  "I will pros – "

"Pl pros?"  Kunzite's mouth twitched.

Mina took a steadying breath.  The man was insufferable!  His smile however heightened his striking appeal a hundredfold.  And Mina found herself staring helplessly at his lips.

Kunzite decided to stop beating around the bush.  He never was the risk taker as most of his comrades were, but with Mina, never would there be a risk he wouldn't take.  

Yes, the mighty thunder god had fallen.

But he ain't going down *alone*.

Kunzite reached out and a hand cupped her face, running a gentle thumb across Mina's lips.  He ran his other hand along her shoulders.

Mina's breath caught in her throat, she tried to pull away and met resistance.  The unexpectedness of the young lord's action left her unguarded, hence, her body reacted to the delightful sensations of being in his powerfully built arms.  Unknowingly, the young woman's intense eyes were clouded in uncertainty – and uncovered longing.

Heavens!  She must control herself.  She must - or she'll be lost. 

"My Lord – ," She stopped talking upon glancing at the young lord's face.

Dear lord, forgive me.

Mina's eyes met his.

He's beautiful.

Kunzite smiled tenderly.

He's not going to be alone anymore.

"Your eyes betray you every time, princess," he murmured.

Mina's eyes widened at that remark.

Kunzite grinned.  "Despite your loss in our little battle today and to all other contests we had – "

Kunzite lowered his face towards the princess and smiled affectionately, murmuring in a husky voice,

" - you wanted me.  Only your pride got in the way."

The princess gasped and scoffed at the young man.

"You certainly managed to strip that from me, didn't you, my lord?"

Kunzite laughed in genuine amusement.  "It was a nasty job, princess."

He then lowered his head until their noses were touching. "But somebody had to do it."  And kissed the indignant princess.

Thoroughly.

Mina should fight him, she kept telling herself.  Her arms crept up his broad chest.  She should protest.  Her dainty fingers sank into his long silver hair.  At the very least, she shouldn't *enjoy* it.  That was her final thought before she shifted closer, losing herself in his embrace.

For the first time in her life,

Princess Mina didn't mind at all that she lost.

- End Mina's Dream –

Mina sighed.

Some dream THAT was.

She didn't even know the guy!!!

Who was he?  She had never met him before.  And yet, the sharp clear pictures on her mind baffled her.

Does he even exist?  He was in my dream for crying out loud!  But aren't dreams supposed to be a part of my subconscious?  Then how can he BE there when I don't even KNOW the dratted man!

Oh, but what a divine man he was! 

Mina scoffed at herself.  With a frustrating grunt, the young woman stood and marched towards her bathroom, the towel wrapped around her slim body.

I need to think!  And for that, I need to use the toilet!!!

The young man was currently reciting the alphabet under his breath.

It was either that, or curse.  And he just ran out of those.

Cursing at nothing - at everything – at his bladder and at his wretched hormones.

P-Q-R-S-shit!-T-U-. . .

Kunzite sighed then opened his eyes – 

- and stopped breathing.

Mina was gone.

She was no longer sitting on the chair.

Kunzite immediately scanned the entire floor area of the bedroom from his lying position under the bed to make sure that indeed, the young blonde had decided to leave the bedroom even for a moment.

Now's my chance!

He waited for a few more minutes to see if the blonde will be coming back any time soon – but didn't.

Where could she be?

His striking grey eyes drifted towards the bathroom door. 

Closed.

Doesn't mean that she's not there, but still it's closed.

Kunzite grimaced, then sighed nervously.

It's time.

Stealthily, the young man edged his way out under the bed - carefully listening to any sounds that might alert him that the girl was anywhere near to appear before him.

Slowly he rose from his lying position and kneeled at one side of the bed, eyes darting to and fro, until they landed on the opened door leading to the balcony.

Kunzite's powerful frame shuddered.  He was downright nervous AND relieved.  And the fact that he didn't have his jacket on added the trembling of his body due to the cool morning air.

He needed to escape fast. 

With determined steps, Kunzite moved towards the opened balcony.

And came face to face with intense blue eyes, and an angry hiss.

It was Artemis.

This time, Kunzite was really DEAD.


	12. The Dark Shadow of Love III

Replies to Reviews:

First of all, SORRY y'all!!!

I am really truly sorry for taking SOOOO long in updating.  Two months, for crying out loud!

Well, you can blame it on the movie, 'The Ring'!!!  Dangnabbit!  How was I suppose to type my story in the MIDDLE of the night (the time when all insomniacs usually get inspired), ALONE in the DARK computer room where there's a frigging TV near me, huh?!  SIYET!!!  I swear, it took me a whole week for the image of a crawling white lady to stop haunting me.  Brrr. . .shiver 

LoveeDucky: Thanks, Glad you liked the story. ;-)

lindy*girl(): Thanks! ;-) So you love torturing the guys, eh? Naughty girl.  Mamoru and Usagi (or in this case, Darien and Serena) will still be a part of the story although they only get to play a small part. *Rain ducks to avoid hurtling tomatoes*.  The thing about Lita/Mako during the flashback thingie is that she and Nephrite were supposed to be in a mock fight (just like Mina and Kunzite), and Lita won (Yeah!).  Sorry for not elaborating on the flashback though because it was supposed to be just a sudden flash of memory for Lita and Nephrite, kinda like a brief taste of the whole enchilada.  Anyway, the story behind that will be developed later on. ;-)

wyannick54(): Thanks!  Hope you won't get tired by all the mumbo jumbo, hehe.

Chibi Sarcasm: SO, how was YOUR test? Mwahahahaha! ;-) *Rain stroking her chin thoughtfully* Hmm, maybe I oughta stop this fic. . .I mean, I don't wanna interfere with your studies and all, hehehe.  *Rain suddenly gets whacked on the head by a mallet* Owww. . .then again, maybe not.

Jen(): Sure!  I'll try to update ASAP! *Rain crossed fingers*  

Lilian: Thanks!  Sigh I never knew writing a fic on FOUR couples was hard work *Rain wipes sweat from forehead*.  Anyway, *Rain grabs her pen, er, keyboard, raises it high, and shouts* I can do this, I WILL SURVIVE! *Rain then slumped on her computer table, drooling on the keyboard.*

MagicMizzy(still picketing): Hyuk, hyuk, hyuk!  Kunzite is gonna get it REAL bad. ;-)  Sorry about the long time it took in updating. *Rain twisting her leg abashedly*  ;-)

Cherrystarr(): Aw, shucks.  You made me blush. Hehe. ;-)  Thanks.

miLady: Thanks!

White Feather: *hehe* I hoped you didn't turn red from holding your breath for too long.  Gawd, can you imagine that?!  It took me 2 months to update! :-(  Well, hope you like the rest of the story.

By the way, do any of you know the singing group Models?  And their song 'Fame'?  God, I suddenly had this image of the generals owning a designer clothing/fashion mag company, and the girls working for them as ordinary photographers/assistants who were later 'discovered'.  I know the plot may have been used a couple of times before but hey, I still like it.  Shucks, I sense another fanfic coming. . .then again, anyone out there interested in writing this one? ;-)  Just a thought. 

Chapter 11 – The Dark Shadow of Love III 

Darkness.

There was nothing but absolute unsettling darkness.

And daunting silence.

A few moments more passed, until a faint flicker of white light shone solely in the midst of the shadows.  A deep voice was then heard to rupture the interwoven silence surrounding the darkness – and made the shadows more forbidding.

Brothers. . .

A moment later, another light appeared, tinged with the hue of silky russet.  The rhythmic beating from an unknown source resonated in the background, as if an internal clock had been set to monitor the count down towards an unknown impending fate.

Another intense voice was heard.

Brother. . .

Then, a third glow appeared – momentarily disorienting the swirls of light emitted by the other two with its shade of lime.  A voice joined the other entities followed by a low rumble of seemingly devious laughter.

Brothers. . .

They waited for one more.

One more blaze. . .and they would be complete.  

An instant later, the familiar spark of cerulean radiance illuminated the darkness, and rested among the shadows.  Silent.  And still.

Done.

They were now complete.

Finally, they can now commence on what they were destined to carry out since time immemorial.  And no one, absolutely NO ONE, would dare thwart them from accomplishing their deeds.  

They were powerful.

And they had their personal legends to realize.

And the WHOLE universe, seeing the greatness of such legends, would conspire to fulfill these aspirations – despite the chaos and turmoil that such manifestations would bring.  

What was written in the stars, the universe would NOT deny.

The light with the russet hue, spoke in greeting towards the latest entity that arrived – in a silky voice reverberating in seemingly mock amusement.

Brother. 

The cerulean light then glowed in response, followed by a voice – that seemed strangely – 

- annoyed. 

What the hell?! Will you guys cut that out!  What's with all the bloody twilight zone crap?

Russet and Lime burst out in laughter, their lights shone with their delight, while White light silently blazed on the side.

Cerulean was pissed.  To say the least. 

Dammit!  Quit it!

Lime twinkled teasingly.  Aw, did we hurt your wittle feewings, Jaedy?

Shut up, Zoi!  By God, if I could just put my hands on you right now, I'll wring your pathetic little neck!  Cerulean blazed in irritation.

Dazzling Russet glowed in mild amusement.  Oh my, such violence.  Our little firefly there must have kicked you in the ass. . .AGAIN!

And with that, three lights smoldered in rambunctious hilarity.

Cerulean was certainly NOT amused.  He groaned in defeat.  Why shouldn't he?  What they said was TRUE anyway.  His Rae was in another one of her er, moods. . .AGAIN.  

Jadeite grunted miserably.  It was his damn fault anyway.

Kunzite, in his white - almost silvery - radiance, spoke.  What happened, Jadeite?

A snicker was heard as Zoisite's luminous lime shimmered.  Must have forgotten to close his fly again.  Knowing our dear little fire princess, she must have been repulsed at the sight of such a er, - MANLY display. 

The shadows were again showered with iridescent sparkles as three of the glowing lights twinkled in laughter.

The fourth light however, glowed in intense irritation – and utter embarrassment.  

Oh boy, if only that was what actually happened.

Jadeite sighed.

Nephrite then shimmered in unspoken sympathy – and subtle apology – to the younger man.

So, what really happened, Jadeite?

Jadeite flickered.   

Suddenly, Kunzite, Nephrite and Zoisite glowed in concern.

The flickering of their inner chi usually denoted a heavy emotion for each of the generals.  For the past several weeks, ever since they were able to establish their contact to one another using their mind links when they were transformed to their human counterparts, each of the shittenou have relied on deciphering the other's emotions by the way their inner chi behaved – considering that in their current situation, it was not possible for them to be together physically.

Flickering, although not altogether a bad sign, was definitely a cause for concern for the generals – who were indeed, 'brothers' to one another.

Jadeite flickered again, and scoffed at himself.  He knew his friends were concerned for him, but hey, he's not going to whine and curse and yell bloody murder about his current situation.  Hell, all of them were in the same banana here!

Er, I mean boat, that is. 

Hmp!  It was nothing really.  My fault, of course.  Forgot to do something, was all.  Nothing to worry about.

Jadeite then shimmered questioningly.  How about you guys?  Had any luck?

Amazingly, the white silvery light that was Kunzite's was suddenly tinged with a rosy hue.  The blushing general however attempted to remain silent and unnoticed -

- but not for long though.

Jadeite's cerulean light blazed in a naughty twinkle.

Ohohoho!!!  SOMEBODY must have hit the jackpot last night!  C'mon Kunzy dear, please do grace us with bawdy tales of thy amorous ventures with the lovely Lady Mina.  Tsk, tsk, you dear, dear naughty old boy. . . 

If it would have been possible, Kunzite would have been sporting a ticking vein in his forehead right now.  

Baka!

Nephrite glowed in amusement, but his voice held sincerity upon referring to Kunzite.

Never mind, my friend.  How was your um,. . .talk with the Guardian?

Kunzite was silent for a moment.

He remembered clearly of the events pertaining to his encounter with the Guardian of the Moon princesses, and scoffed,

Artemis is still acting like an ass.  Still a bit wary of my so-called 'intentions' for the girls.  I almost trash the little feline if it weren't for Mina's affections for the blasted rascal - 

- and the fact that you were bloody half-naked at that time had nothing to do with it, of course. Zoisite sniggered teasingly.

Kunzite glowed even redder.

Jadeite smirked at the silvery-white light but twinkled at Zoisite's direction.

Hmp, look who's talking.  You weren't EXACTLY dressed for the occasion yourself when you stumbled down the street from Ami's house either!  Just imagine, Zoi, the excruciating ordeal those unfortunate enough to see you suffer at seeing you in your underwear!  My gawd. . .they're traumatized for life.  They will NEVER, EVER look at a pair of boxers in the same way again!

Lime light was suddenly tinted with red as Zoisite snorted crossly.

Bastard!

Nephrite's Russet light glowed amicably in the midst of clashing auras of lime and cerulean.

Enough with the teasing you two.  I do realize that it's an outlet for you guys to somehow express how you GENUINELY miss each other and all - 

WHAT?! Lime and Cerulean burst indignantly.

But we need to talk about certain things that demand our utmost attention - immediately. Nephrite continued.

Kunzite shimmered in agreement, the red hue no longer visible in his hoary radiance.

We need to confer.  From what I understand, two of us have been caught, while the other two were fortunate enough to get away with it.  Zoi, have you been to Ami's lately?

Zoisite sighed.

Unfortunately no.  I can't seem to find a valid excuse to explain to her who I am or even what happened that day for that matter.

Blame it on the hormones, kid.  You were so struck by them, you just HAD to have a seizure. Jadeite murmured impishly.

Zoisite snarled.

Let it lie, Zoi.  So what have you been doing in the meantime? Kunzite continued in serious tones.

Zoisite shimmered lightly.

Well, I was able to land a job as a construction worker a few weeks ago.  Had a talk with the foreman, did a few alterations in their plans, seemed to like it and finally got a supervisory position.  Not exactly my dream job, but hey, it's better than sleeping on the streets.  Now, I'm a proud occupant of one run-down rat-infested apartelle downtown. chuckle  It's bliss, I tell you.  It even has its very own toilet!  Sink's busted, mind you, but hell, it's still a bloody sink!  AND, . . I got me a couple of beer buddies too,. . .though it puzzles me why they run away whenever I tried turning on the lights.  Those damn killjoy roaches.  Zoisite finished with a tinge of mocked amusement.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Jadeite then spoke in a gentle voice, unknowingly tinged with brotherly concern.

You should have told me, Zoi.  I could have asked Hino-san a place for you and refer you to a job.  There are tons of rooms back at the temple!  

For a moment, Zoisite was stunned silent.  A few seconds later, it was shattered when he chuckled good-naturedly at the cerulean blaze.

Awww, Jady.  I'm touched, *sniff sniff*.  I didn't even know you cared.  Just you wait, I'm gonna build a shrine for you and gazed adoringly at your angelic face 'till the end of my grateful days.   

Argh!  Shut up, idiot!  Cared, my ass.  You were pathetic, that's all!  Jadeite bawled, but was blushing nonetheless.  

Zoisite merely chuckled.

Thanks, but I guess I'm ok for now.  Besides, it won't be such a good idea if I suddenly showed up in your doorstep when Ami could be nearby.  The girls are friends remember?

Nephrite suddenly spoke in a gentle, grave manner that was uniquely his.

Now that you mentioned it, I wonder if Lita might have told the girls about the morning she caught me. . .I mean, it's not exactly your everyday cup of tea to wake up and find a stranger in your bed and NOT tell anyone about it.  

Hmm, the girls most probably went and tell at least one other member of their group.  Kunzite added gravely.

Not Ami.

Three lights suddenly shone in question at the youngest general.  Jadeite then chuckled,

What do you mean, not Ami?  You think she'd keep your amorous rendezvous in her bathroom from her friends?  My, my, I never knew the young and shy Mercurian Princess can be so. . .secretive.

Shut up, Jade, it's not what you think.

What are you saying then, Zoi?

Lime light shimmered as Zoisite gave out a long sigh.

I know Ami. . .well, I mean, the one I used to know before, that is. . .and well, she's the type of person to keep to herself, ESPECIALLY on things that she wasn't sure on how to explain - scientifically.  What happened between us wasn't exactly your everyday chitchat topic over lunch, you know.  Add that to the fact that she was, um, I mean, that she was not really er, passive in the uh, 'encounter' either.

Tryst, my dear.  Jadeite corrected.  Encounter sounds so. . .boring.  And what happened between the two of you WASN'T exactly for 'General Patronage' either, more like PG-13.  Hell, it might even go for an 'R'!

Zoisite blazed ominously.  Would you mind?!  We're talking about my baby here, 'nuff with the crude jokes.

Jadeite snickered, and then spoke excitedly in a flamboyant tone,

Oh, oh!  I know that one!  I heard it before, it goes something like -

And after taking a deep breath, started singing in a sultry baritone voice, 

'I. . .LOVE. . .YOU. . .BABY! And if it's quite alright, I need you baby to all my lonely night, I love you baby, trust in me when I sayyyy. . .'

Nephrite roared in laughter. 

Kunzite sighed in defeat, shimmering in amusement.

And Zoisite,. . .well, he can't help but feel his lips twitching in laughter at his friend's loony antics.  He may act like an asshole at times, but he KNEW Jadeite.  

He has a heart of gold.  No wonder he was able to break through the fiery princess' defenses with just one lazy smile.  Heck, even a LOOK was enough.  

. . .oh pretty babe, don't bring me down I pray, oh pretty babe, now that I found you, stay, and let me love you babe, let me LOVE YOUUUU. . .!'

Zoisite heaved a long sigh and murmured in an amused and strangely affectionate tone, 

Bastard.

Love you too, Zoi!

                              * * * * *

Nephrite stretched his long legs beneath the steel and chrome table, and let out a loud, almost lusty sound while stretching his body with catlike grace.  He had been sitting down in front of his pile of work ever since lunch, and have yet to let the blood flow freely in his body after being positioned in the cramp space for a long time.

He had just spaced out a couple of minutes ago while talking to the other generals using their mind links.

Nephrite suddenly chuckled as he remembered the bickering between the two younger shittenou's while being sternly reprimanded, though not quite effectively, by the oldest of the group.  The four have been in contact with each other for the past several weeks, but were only required to do so on rare occasions.

Reason one of course was, they had to undergo a lot of adjustments.

And I mean, a bloody LOT of them.

The young brunet sighed as he recalled what happened that day when he was caught by the beautiful, and unfortunately, very indignant Jupiterian princess.  

His Thunderheart.

Nephrite winced.

Alas, he also remembered with such painful clarity how THUNDEROUS his beloved could be. . .    

- Lita's bedroom, morning of Nephrite's awakening – 

"One wrong move buster and you're gonna get it," Lita threatened in a no-nonsense voice.  Her eyes blazed with fiery determination, her hands firmly holding the pepper spray in place, not even breaking a sweat.

. . .it was then that Nephrite fell.

And boy, did he fell. . .

He fell all over again.   

Er, in fact he would have fallen on his butt, and a charming one it was, if not for the graver danger of finding himself at the mercy of one very scorned female. . .even IF said female was HIS.

Nephrite glanced at the raging woman in front of him and frowned when he saw her eyes glazed for an instant.  Lita went stiff in her posture and for one tense silent moment, didn't breathe and didn't budge an inch.  Nephrite's confusion was immediately replaced with concern.  As he was about to take a step forward to ask the young woman, he startlingly heard her muttering under her breath.

 ". . .rid of. . .gorgeo-. . .damn, half-naked. . .damn myself to Hell. . ." Lita mumbled incoherently.

Nephrite almost grinned.

That was his Thunderheart alright.

His smile got wiped off his face however, upon seeing the girl raised her head, a particularly irritated scowl on her face while her shoulders were taut and tense.

Oh boy.

Knowing the he was terribly done for, the young brunet, acted on instinct inherent among trained military men, and took up his position of defense.  He had no plans whatsoever of hurting the young woman, but hey, he's not about to get caught unaware either.

He was a frigging general, for crying out loud.

Alas, with a deep breath, Lita charged with her trusty pepper spray.

Forgive me, my love.

With quick reflexes, Nephrite swiftly heaved the blanket dropped by Lita beside the bed when she went to get the pepper spray, and hurled the cover over her entire figure.  With a surprised cry, Lita dropped her weapon to somehow hoist the bulky blanket away - struggling to get out of the small cocoon of warm sheets, all the while shouting curses at the young man.

"Dammit! Oh, you're really gonna get it, you jerk!"

After finally being able to lift the blanket from her body however, the young man was no longer standing in front of her.

"What the – "

And before she could turn around to look for the culprit, her body suddenly grew taut as if caught by surprise.  Seconds later she grew limp, and was about to plummet down to the floor when strong arms circled around her to catch her dropping form.

Nephrite sighed in relief – accompanied by mumbled apologies to the young brunette.

While Lita was wrestling with the blanket, the young general stealthily moved behind the struggling woman, enabling him to be in the position to administer a carefully placed assault on the brunette's delicate nape.  With a light grip at the posterior base of her head, Nephrite contracted certain points of her neck muscles to put her to sleep.  Lita might feel a tad strained on her neck when she woke up.  Hopefully by then, he won't be there to receive the brunt of her ire.

Nephrite carefully lay down the sleeping Lita on the comfy bed and sat beside her – arranging the pillows and blanket around the slumbering beauty.  

For several minutes, there was silence, as Nephrite drank thirstily of the lovely image before him.  

It had been a long time. . . 

. . .too long, in fact.

Nephrite would have never imagined, not even in his wildest dreams, that he could get to do this again. . .of just looking at the young woman to his heart's content.  He had long been deprived of that privilege. . .and the right.

The young brunet sighed.  He then reached out a hand and let it graze along one rosy cheek.

He missed doing this.  Went almost nuts just thinking about it.

"I'm sorry, love."

Nephrite then leaned down to brush firm lips to succulent ones, as his hand continued brushing one soft cheek.

After what seemed like a tiny eternity, the young man leaned back and gazed at the woman before him, his eyes suddenly intense with loving determination, matching his serious hushed tone,

"Wait for me. . ."

And with that, the young general rose gracefully, picked up the offending pepper spray he found lying near his left foot, and with a final glance on the bed, ran towards the door leading him to the outside world for the first time – as a full-grown man.

- End flashback –

Nephrite shook his head promptly upon realizing he had spaced-out again.  He really should avoid doing that too often if he's determined to get things done.

Two months have passed painfully slow, since the bedroom incident.  Like Zoisite, Nephrite was one of the unfortunate ones to have been caught by the girls upon awakening from their 'doll' state.  With nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, Nephrite decided to get on with his plan of finding a job and then saving a few bucks enough for him to eventually establish his own start-up aeronautical research project.  Even up to now, his love for the galaxies and stars had never waned.

Hence, Nephrite immediately got himself a job in one of the more advanced research projects being conducted by a prestigious university in Tokyo.  At first, it was dreadfully difficult to convince the board of his credibility considering his lack of valid credentials and important documents.  Not to mention his oftentimes strange behavior as a result of attempting to 'settle' into the 21st century.

However, his quick mind and vast knowledge in the astrological field astounded the panel and compelled them to decide in allowing the young brunet to attend the initial briefing of the project.  After a few weeks of hard work and iron-willed perseverance, his probationary status was lifted.  

Nephrite again stretched his whole body to get rid of the cramps, grunting in satisfaction.  In such a relaxed state, his handsome face was devoid of any somber expression that he often used in masking his emotions.  He was smiling softly as he looked down at his desk and found a canister of pepper spray on top that most often became his focal point at work.  

It is only proper to return borrowed things to their rightful owners, is it not?

And Nephrite was tempted, VERY much tempted, to do just that.    

Soon.

Unknown to the young man, a pair of azure eyes traveled along his masculine form and rested on his handsome face.  With a seductive curl on her lips, and after running her hand through her long red hair, a lithe figure approached the young brunet still sprawled on the chair.

"Tired?"

Nephrite almost yelped in surprise upon hearing the husky voice and realizing that he was not alone in the laboratory.  Upon recognizing the visitor, he groaned inwardly in mild irritation and looked longingly beyond the figure, and to the closed door.  The calendar hanging at the back of the door showed a picture of a newly-discovered cluster of stars that greatly interested Nephrite.    

Lately he realized however, his view of the stars had been clouded by the nauseating fumes of one heavily-scented, dangerously curvaceous colleague, who seemed to be QUITE interested in certain views other than the stars themselves.

Or anything remotely skyward, for that matter.  The heavily made-up gaze of one provocative female coworker seemed to be. . .captivated by certain areas of Nephrite's –

- nether regions. 

The young brunet raised his right hand to slightly push his wire-framed glasses up further on his nose, and then faced the scantily-clad woman with an eyebrow raised in mild haughtiness.  Inwardly, Nephrite felt like groaning in annoyance at the sight of the woman, but managed to keep a half-smile plastered on his handsome face.

"Tired?  Not at all, just occupied."

Yvonne sauntered towards the young man and gracefully sat on top of Nephrite's desk, legs raised carefully while still keeping her eyes on the young man to cross one to the other in a sultry fashion.  The woman was at her utmost element, and she damn well knew how to play her cards right.  Who knows, she might even get lucky tonight.

"Nephrite dear, it's already way past 9 o' clock in the evening.  Surely, a –"

She paused as she reached out a dainty hand to brush off an invisible flint on the young man's muscled arm.

And seemed to not have the least bit intention of withdrawing her manicured hand from where it lay anytime soon.

"As I was saying, a MAN such as yourself, doesn't need to work over long hours of the night.  You need to relax, Nephrite.  Otherwise, you'll end up –"

Yvonne suddenly reached out a second hand to touch Nephrite's forehead, and then slowly traced her long fingernails downwards from the corner of his eyes to his lips in a seductive manner.

" – all wrinkled."  She finished in a husky murmur.

The young red-haired woman was leaning so close to Nephrite that only a few inches more, and scarlet lips would have brushed over firm ones.  

Yvonne lowered her eyes and raised them again to gaze seductively at aquamarine ones, and almost purred in satisfaction.

The young brunet looked dazed.  Yvonne then knew she was going to have one helluva fantastic night.  After weeks of hard 'work', and not so subtle hints to the apparently oblivious man, she could finally mark him as hers.

With a seemingly triumphant grin, Yvonne leaned towards the man while wetting her lower lip with a flick of her tongue.  Men loved that in her, and she knew how to use it up to her maximum advantage.  

She HAD him.  The poor boy just couldn't resist her.  

Pity.

Nephrite however, didn't want to be 'HAD'. . .by her in particular. 

It was then that the normally well-mannered brunet had taken a drastic change in his serene and courteous personality.

Besides, desperate situations call for desperate measures.

Nephrite was so dazed by Yvonne's heavy perfume that he almost puked in disgust.

Clearing his throat, Nephrite ignored the woman's surprised yelp as he suddenly stood up and without a blink, started cleaning up his stuff on the desk, fixing his files and arranging them accordingly.

"I do appreciate the. . .'concern', Yvonne."  Nephrite murmured ominously – a scary notion for a normally tolerant man. "But you see, - "  

The large figure stepped back abruptly to push his seat under the desk and looked at the young, obviously baffled, speechless woman whose face caked with rouge was mere inches from his own. 

" – I have no need of it.  You are absolutely right, my dear.  I do NEED to relax.  Therefore, I'm leaving right now, to find me a fabulous spa place, get myself buck naked, AND – "

Nephrite then leaned further to whisper in Yvonne's ear.

" - take a dip in the steamy luxurious bath, with MY WOMAN."

And with a smirk, Nephrite turned around and marched towards the glass door and left the open-mouthed Yvonne to the flies.   

Nephrite merely snorted in utter satisfaction,

Lita honey, you better have one hotdamn sexy swimsuit for all my troubles, or there'll be hell to pay!

* * * * *

"I tell you, Lita, this sexy silk green number IS the ONE!"

"For once, I totally agree with meatball-head here, Lita.  It looks fabulous on you!"

"Rae!!!" 

Lita laughed as she settled her gaze on Serena and Rae who were, as usual, squabbling like little children instead of acting like the young adults that they were.

Lita and Rae were out shopping at one of the malls when they met up with Serena and Darien in one of the more classy fashion boutiques.  Immediately, the girls exchange squeals of delight upon discovering that the young brunette is in need of an attire and a total makeover for her job application in one of the more posh restaurants in downtown Tokyo.  Darien only managed to greet the girls with a welcoming smile and a polite nod, before he too was hastily dragged along by one rambunctious blonde.   

In any event of course, Serena and Rae would always find time to express how genuinely they care for one another. . .

. . .er, no matter how intense and ferocious the outcome may be. 

Then again, they wouldn't be 'Serena' and 'Rae' without all the racket and pandemonium that was Rae-Serena's trademark.  

Lita spoke, a trace of laughter still in her voice, 

"Oh, come on you two.  I need fashion consultants here, not female wrestlers.  You can continue tussling AFTER you help me get a fantastic set of clothes."

"But Lita," Serena whined in a sultry voice which amazingly became so for the past couple of years – unknowingly driving Darien to blissful distraction at times.

"I'm no longer a meatball-head!  See?!  No more meatball buns!  Haven't had them for two long years!. . .And do wipe that smirk off your face, Darien."

Rae grunted sardonically,

"Tch, I wasn't referring to your hairdo alone, princess.  Your hair's not the only 'meatball' in that silly blonde head of yours."

Serena merely gave Rae the 'tongue' and unknowingly looked adorable in doing so.  The raven-haired Darien then shifted nearer to the young blonde and encircled her waist with a lean arm, bringing her startled form closer to his tall figure - his lips brushing the top of her head, taking note of the absence of two adorable 'meatball' buns.     

"Do that again, Sere, and I won't be responsible for my actions."  Darien spoke in a soft undertone only Serena could hear.

The young blonde blushed red in response and moved a step back from the young man to give him a shy but knowing look - smiling coyly,

"Darien, behave."

Darien merely shrugged, an indication that he won't be hesitant in carrying out his threat despite their location and the company they're with.  Nonetheless, he tightened his grip around Serena and kissed her lovingly on the forehead.

Lita smiled upon seeing the couple.  Despite the 'cheeziness' and the sickeningly sweet behavior of the two, Lita can't help but feel happy for her friends.  They are the two most deserving people she knew, and she would die defending the precious love they shared.

Of course, she also can't help but feel envious of the two either.  Heck, who doesn't?

It has been a long time since she went out with a guy.  

A damn long time.

And it's all because of one frigging dream!

It only took one bloody dream, and one glimpse of perfect masculine embodiment, and Lita was a goner. . .way, way gone.  In fact, she felt like one of the cartoon characters from Warner Brothers that kept on falling off the cliff despite the brilliant ideas and amazing ACME merchandise.

Lita never looked at another guy again, EXCEPT however for brunettes having russet hues which she found amazingly so enticing.  Whenever she caught sight of long auburn-haired men, her heart soared in remarkable heights, only to be hauled back heftily down on earth when she realized he's not the one in her dream.

Of course he's not, you dope! Lita admonished herself.  How could he be, he's just a dream!  A damn good one at that, but just a dream nevertheless.

The young thunder princess sighed deeply at the sudden rush of desperation and loneliness that came through her whole being.  Deep in her heart, she knew, despite the continuous denials and self-reproach, she's yearning.  

Add that to the fact that for the past few weeks, her frustration of not being able to find her doll, Nate, had pushed her to her very limits.  She didn't almost recognize her room after she rummaged every nook and corner just to look for her dearest doll.  At times, she even found herself crying in her sleep, which is actually pathetic since it was JUST a damn doll.

But it was HER damn doll.  And she missed it.  She missed her Nate.  She almost told the other girls of her situation but decided against it.  Hell, it's enough already that she told Rae of her silly dream about the gorgeous guy she found on her bed, telling her of her despair over the loss of her doll would probably make her flip.

And now, she had THIS to deal with.

Damn him!  It's his damn fault why I'm shriveling up like an old maid!  Argh!!!  

Serena looked strangely at her friend when she saw a dark cloud passing over Lita's features, and seemed to be in a very heated argument with herself.

"Um, Lita?"

". . ."

"Hey, Lita?  Yohoo, earth to Lita, come in Lita."

". . ."

Rae scooted over her two friends and tried waving her hands in front of the stumped brunette.  The taller girl however, didn't even look up.  Rae was at a loss,  

"Houston, we have a problem."

Serena sweatdropped and snapped her fingers, awkwardly I might add, in front of the young brunette, but still to no effect.  She looked at the raven-haired fire princess and both nodded in silent agreement.  

Darien immediately run for cover.

"One. . .two. . .three! –

- LITA!!!!"  

Lita winced at the sudden maltreatment being directed to her delicate ears and smiled in embarrassment.

"Er, he,he. . .sorry about that.  Yeah, Sere?"

"Lita, what's wrong?  You. . .you looked, well, you looked kinda lost."

Lita inhaled sharply at the young blonde's observation.

She's right.  She WAS lost.  She was loosing her frigging mind over a frigging imaginary guy!  How pathetic can you get?!

Lita chuckled, recovering momentarily from her bout of despair and self-pity.  She was planning to get a dress for her job interview, and a dress she will get!

"Sorry 'bout that, honey."  Lita cheerfully responded.  "Don't worry, I'm a-ok!  SO, what do you think of this one?  I wonder if they have another one in silver. . .ooh, this one,. . .hmm, don't like the cut though, too wide at the hips, oh well. . .oh my, I forgot I also need a swimsuit. . ."  Lita continued in her tirade as if nothing happened, while both Rae and Serena looked baffled at the brunette's actions.  At first, the young blonde hesitated in letting go of the issue, but the reassuring grip on her shoulder told her to do otherwise in the meantime.

Darien gazed at his girlfriend and then gave her a comforting smile.  Serena smiled in return and raised one hand to cover his hand on her shoulder.

Let her be, she will come to us in due time if needed be.  With that, Serena suddenly perked up at the sight of another gown displayed on one of the mannequins and proceeded to fuss over Lita.  Rae, taking the silent cue, ensued her verbal spar with the young blonde as the small group walked further inside the boutique.

Unknown to the small group, a pair of aquamarine eyes followed their every movement.  Specifically, of one tall lovely brunette.

In the man's hands lay a lovely designer emerald two-piece suit – and expensive looking I might add.  The man walked towards the salesgirl who suddenly straightened her posture upon seeing the approaching handsome gentleman.  The tall man gave her a smile and spoke to her in mild tones,

"Excuse me, miss.  Could you please recommend this suit to the young lady in that group. . .the one with the brown hair in ponytail."

The salesgirl was at loss upon seeing the exquisite suit – it was one of their newer expensive designs,

"Um,. . .yes, sir.  No problem.  Though I'm afraid she might not be able to afford it. . .no offense meant, sir, but she DID mention to me awhile ago if I could point out a good sound suit for her AND at a reasonable price."

"I understand, but please show it to her and tell her the price in half."

"S-sir?  B-but that -"

"Tell her there's a promo for this new design you're selling and you're cutting off half of its price just for the day."

The tall man suddenly leaned towards the salesgirl and whispered sheepishly,

"Don't worry, I'll pay for the entire cost, just give it to her at any price you'd think she'll have it, then you can consider her payment as sort of like a commission for you."

He then leaned back to look at the wide-eyed salesgirl.  Seeing the astonishment, hesitation and curiosity in her eyes, he then proceeded to gamble his final card.

"Please. . .I'm. . .a 'friend', you see."  He looked at her meaningfully. . .and pleadingly – 

- and did I mention adorably so?

Upon hearing and seeing that, the salesgirl suddenly opened her mouth in a small 'oh' of understanding and started to smile warmly at the tall dashing figure.  Damn, that girl is a lucky one. she thought.

"Yes, sir.  I'll do as you ask right away."

With a smile of appreciation, the young man reached out for his wallet to take out his credit card and gave it to the petite girl.

"Thank you.  I really do appreciate it.  And. . .I would be grateful if she doesn't know about this."

"You have nothing to worry, sir."  The salesgirl took the credit card and the dress, and proceeded to the counter.  After signing the receipt and retrieving his card, the tall man nodded gratefully at the salesgirl and started to walk away.

"By the way, sir. . ."

The tall man turned his head to look at the young girl questioningly.

"Wish you good luck with her, she's one lucky girl."

The auburn-haired man merely smiled,

"No my dear, I'M the lucky one."  And with that parting shot, he went out of the sliding doors.

                              * * * * *

Kunzite was NOT pleased.

He had just been banana-splitted.  If there ever was such a term.

The young silver-haired man was currently sandwiched between two lively bundles of redheads who seemed to make it their lifelong commitment to torment the young brooding man to his insanity.

Not a long way to go, judging by the rate they're going.

Suddenly, another bundle lunged itself towards the unsuspecting Kunzite and started licking his face, which was remarkably doused with chocolate syrup and dripping whipped cream.  Giggles were then heard, and in the midst of it, a manly groan of revulsion.

"Haha, Ramram likes choc'late!  Ramram likes choc'late!"

Said bundle on Kunzite's lap with dripping saliva on his lolling tongue then sat back and barked at the seemingly infuriated young man drenched in sickeningly sweet sundae.

With a growl, Kunzite glared sternly at the stupid mutt who just tilted its head in utter ignorance of its misconduct.

Kunzite had just treated the Thompson twins with sundaes that afternoon on the porch when suddenly Ramram, their little rascal of a dog, decided he wanted Kunzite to dress as a banana split.  Barking happily, the black Labrador launched himself on the table and somehow splattered the sundae all over the young man.  The girls found it so – interestingly fun that they started hurtling themselves towards the poor boy and wiped their equally messy hands to his face in mischief.

Looking down at himself, Kunzite found his white shirt stained with chocolate syrup in paw prints and tiny human hands.  With a louder growl, the silver-haired man glowered at the delinquent canine who was now busying itself licking its paw of the remaining sundae.

"Why you rotten little – "

"My, my Kunzite, I never knew you could even converse with dogs, much less, dressed as a sundae."  A teasing voice suddenly interrupted the young man's er, one-sided discussion with the mutt.

Kunzite inhaled sharply at the sound of the voice, and turned to look at the newcomer, cursing under his breath.

The young man who stood before Kunzite, chuckled at the taller man as he took note of the mess.  He then turned his face towards the twins and gave them a wink to which the girls giggled in delight.

Kunzite merely renewed his current onslaught of curses.

"Tsk tsk, do be careful with your language, Kunzite.  There ARE young minds about.  We don't want their vocabulary suddenly altered with such um, - colorful words." 

Kunzite merely grumped, while wiping his face with a handkerchief he produced from his pocket.  He then glared at the younger man,

"What are you doing here Artemis?  And 'IN' that?"

Artemis knew what Kunzite was referring to.  He was wondering himself why he bothered using his human form to talk to the silver-haired man.

Then again, how often in a lifetime do you come by a talking cat?

"Walking around, Kunzite.  Just walking around."  Artemis answered still wearing a smile on his striking face, though beneath the exterior, Kunzite sensed a certain seriousness in Artemis' tone.

With the decision to have whatever Artemis was referring to done and over with, Kunzite stood up and with both arms, gently seized two giggling twins in his wide arms.  He then looked at the other man and nodded politely.

"I'll just be cleaning up these two,. . .after they get severely spanked, that is, for the mess they did."  Kunzite looked at the twins sternly but failed to scare them to submission.  Instead they merely giggled and played with his long silver strands.

Artemis smiled.  Despite Kunzite's threat and stern glance, he knew that the older man adored the kids and would never raise a hand against them no matter what happened.  He realized this when he discreetly watched Kunzite the other day tend to one of the twins when she fell on her tiny bike and got scratched on the knee.  The girl's whimpers were later reduced only after the silver-haired man cleaned the wound and gave it a surprisingly tender kiss.  Since then, he was their hero and champion.  And in one of their more tender moments, the twins declared themselves his future brides.  Kunzite snorted at the thought, of course, but a softness can be seen filled his striking grey eyes.

Artemis chuckled.

Too bad he's taken, my dears.

With that thought, the Guardian of the moon princesses reminisced to the day when he came face to face with the steely young general in his ward's bedroom.

- Mina's bedroom, several weeks ago –

Artemis was grinning. . .looking ridiculously smug upon observing the tall silver-haired man as he stood up from his crouched position near Mina's bed and started making his way to the opened balcony where he stood on his four furry legs.

It's time, he thought.  He then stopped grinning and wore a serious look in preparation of the encounter,. . .and the trial to be conducted.

Suddenly crouching down in a seemingly alert position, Artemis let out an angry hiss to catch the tall man's attention.

Kunzite spun around to be confronted by the white cat and stood frozen.  His striking grey eyes clouded in recognition, frustration, and yes, even a tad of fear.

Not of fear from him, Artemis thought, but of the repercussions of him telling Mina of his presence in her bedroom. . .and in her life.

"Artemis. . ."

"Kunzite."

Upon hearing his name uttered by the feline, Kunzite stiffened but remain firm in his stance, not backing up nor moving forward.  It's obvious however, that the tall man was astounded and grew cautious.

"Y-you know me."  It was not a question but a statement.

Artemis merely grunted and started traipsing leisurely at the railing of the balcony, with an air of arrogant indifference peculiar to his kind.  Kunzite seemed to find this behavior irritating but remained silent as he listened to the white cat.

"Several months ago, Luna and I were just settling in our new home when we both had a vision.  I can't tell you now the content of such revelation but suffice to say, we were no longer surprised at the sudden appearance of four 'stuffed toys' at the arms of the girls."

Kunzite grimaced upon hearing Artemis' referral to dolls and bristled silently at the latter.  Both of them weren't exactly on friendly terms even way back in the Silver Millenium.  Artemis, who was then in human form, was the Guardian of the moon princesses together with his life-companion, Luna, and both had been quite protective of the girls.  Artemis particularly, adored Mina like a sister and was quite vocal about his concern of Mina with regards to the stoic general.  Although he wasn't totally against the relationship of the two, he still acted like the 'overly protective brother' of the Venusian princess.

Even so, Kunzite was grateful to Artemis.  He might not be considered as a friend, but the silver-haired general trusted the equally fair-haired man then unwaveringly.  And when the couple had finally announced their engagement to the people, the Guardian merely nodded in acquiescence and surprised Kunzite by proceeding to arrange the wedding of the two.  In an unspoken agreement, the two men became, not the best of friends maybe, but the most trusted of comrades.

That is,. . .until that day when chaos and madness overtook everything and destroyed almost everyone.

Kunzite gazed at the purring feline and spoke gravely,

"We mean no harm.  We didn't ask to be made into dolls nor did we expect to be in the presence of the senshi's, though I couldn't say that we regretted it happened.  We're here now. . .we were brought here for a reason. . .I found Mina - ,"  Grey eyes suddenly darkened in fierce determination.  " – and I intend for it to stay that way."

Artemis merely growled irately and returned Kunzite's hard glare with a cold look, 

"You do realize Kunzite. . .they have no memories whatsoever of the Silver Millenium - they were reborn to this world with hardly any baggage from the tragic past.  You forgot also. . .that you didn't exactly parted amicably before.  What made you think she'll welcome you with open arms now?"

Kunzite heaved a deep sigh, as he tried to calm his troubled mind.  Indeed, Mina hasn't seen him as a full-grown man yet, and if she did, would she be able to recognize him?  Would she despise him and loath him when she discovered who he really was?

Kunzite's jaw tightened as he regarded the cool gaze of the white cat, 

"What happened in the past was not of our consent, Artemis.  You might find that hard to believe but we were not who we were then.  We too were victims of such tragic circumstances.  I can't tell you exactly what happened, for it is quite long.  But I assure you, had I any intention of hurting Mina or the others, I wouldn't be here like THIS right now."

Artemis merely looked at the tall silver-haired figure, and after what seemed like a long time, purred in satisfaction.

Kunzite, upon seeing the relaxed figure of the cat almost sighed in relief.

Almost, that is -

Until the sound of a flushing toilet coming from the bathroom brought the tall man back to reality hard.

"Damn!"  Kunzite swore.

"Tsk, tsk.  You know better than to swore in Mina's presence, Kunzite."  Artemis who looked unperturbed by the sound Mina was making at the bathroom jumped from his position at the railing and sauntered to the tall man fluidly.

Kunzite gave the cat a freezing glare but stood his ground.  It's no use, even if Kunzite was able to go around Artemis to jump over the railing of the balcony.  He would still inform Mina of his presence in her life.  And right now, he's torn on whether to stay and just face the consequences himself, or run away in hiding first to think of a plan.

Artemis, who was looking at the troubled man, decided to put his plan - or rather, the man's fate - into action.

"You don't need to worry, Kunzite."  Artemis tilted his small head to look at the baffled general.  "Like what you said, you were brought here for a purpose.  That same purpose came to us in my vision, and Luna and I had already discussed this.  We won't say anything to the girls.  All of this, will be through all in due time.  Because of that, I think it's best if you won't be here when Mina comes out of her bathroom.  Another time perhaps, but not today."

Kunzite, for all his iron stoicism, was for once, unsure of how to react.  Unable to express his feelings, he nodded gratefully albeit reluctantly to the white cat.

"But. . .what would happen?  Would I –"

"We will talk later, Kunzite.  Your questions will be dealt with later.  Luna's waiting for you outside.  In the meantime, get your butt out of my ward's bedroom!"  

- End flashback – 

                        * * * * *

Artemis thoughtfully scratched his chin as he walked towards the front porch of the Thompson's, waiting for Kunzite to come out of the house.

After Kunzite jumped over the railing, Artemis found himself greeting the blonde Venusian princess with a smirk as she was coming out of the bathroom.  With a delighted squeal, Mina launched herself to hug the cat in a warm tight embrace, sobbing happily at the sight of her beloved friend.  For indeed, it had been quite sometime since they last saw each other, him being away with Luna to finally settle down and her finishing her studies.  It took almost hours of talking and laughing with the blonde before he finally convinced Mina that he was merely 'visiting'.

When he finally left, and not without another bout of Mina's dramatic goodbyes, he met with Kunzite a few yards away from Mina's house.  Since then, the two men have been in constant company with the other.

Of course, half of the time, they were at each other's throats.  Luna however, merely laughed at the men's behavior, saying they acted more like brothers even if both were adamant in denying such.

Besides, they're on a mission here.                    

Artemis frowned at the thought, reminding himself of the reason why he was seeing Kunzite today in the first place.

As if on cue, the door opened to reveal a still grumpy newly-changed Kunzite.  The tall man looked at Artemis and sauntered down the steps wearing a frown on his face.  The former saw the troubled look worn by Artemis and he immediately saw the need for the latter to talk.

"What is it, Artemis?"

Artemis' troubled gaze rested on the serious face of the older man and spoke in a low tone,  

"Mina's looking for you. . ."


	13. Love's First Encounter

Replies to reviews:

wyannick54: Thanks!  Honestly, I was a bit hesitant in posting the previous chapter.  I thought it was kinda serious and well,. . .boring!  Not much of dialogues, but a lot of character build-up and flashbacks.  Guess I was wrong. ;) Thanks for reading. . .and for the reviews!

bebe-chrissy: Thanks!  Hahaha, well, you're not the only one who's waiting for the next chapter. . .EVEN I don't know what's going to happen next! ;)  Don't worry, it won't take another 2 months for me to update, . . .a month and a half maybe, but not 2 months.  Rain gets splat on the face with a rotten tomato.  Er, a month perhaps? ;)  Flash report:  Sudden decline in tomatoes in the supply market baffles authorities.  Please report any information regarding this occurrence to the Department of Food and Drugs (DFAD) immediately.       

Lilian: Rain goes chibi, BIG eyes and all the works Thank you, thank you. ;)  Glad you liked the chapter.  After reading the chapter however, I discovered I made a slip-up, I wrote 'three piece emerald suit' instead of 'two-piece'.  What the hell are we gonna use the last piece for?!  A bonnet?!  Silly me.

neoqueen: ooohhh, you'll be surprised by the twist in the story, . . .mwahahahaha!

milady: Thanks!  Writing about the generals is damn hard work though.  Man!  Too many boys, too little space and time. ;)  Unfortunately, I can't say the same in real life.  Waaahhhh!!!

Isis Aurora Tomoe: Thanks!  I adore kids, hence the twins' part in the story.  Hehe, don't speak so soon though, the twin girls are going to get a little. . .wicked later in the story, mwahahahaha, another Kunzite moment in the making!  I am SOOO e-vuhl!!!  Hmm, about that other story, I am starting on it right now, but I am still looking for an inspiration.  I need a drive for it. . .unfortunately, I can't drive.  What a LOSER!!!

Destiny's Fate: Aw, thanks!  Well, I hope to keep up the good work, too. ;)

Alias: Whoa!  That's saying a LOT!  Thanks!  So far, this is my first fanfic up at Fanfic.Net, and am glad you liked it. ;)  Am planning to have another one about the 'models thing' that I mentioned before. ;)

Chapter 12 – Love's First Encounter  

(NOTE: Hear ye, hear ye.  I have decided that, since longer chapters would take even longer periods of time to make, that I would revert back to making shorter chapters, ergo, shorter time for you guys to wait for succeeding chapters.  And this time, focusing on about one or two couples per chapter.  Hope it's ok with you guys. ;)  Enjoy this chap!  It's about Rae and Jadeite, and a tiny bit of Ami and Zoi.)

Hino Yamazaki sighed in blissful delight.  Nothing can be more relaxing than having one cup of hot herbal tea on one hand, and the morning newspaper on the other.  Indeed, old age, contrary to what other people say, IS bliss!  The aged man gently blew across the top of his steaming cup, and after a careful sip, placed it quietly on top of the low table before him and started flipping through the pages of the daily.

"Hmm, nuninuninuuu. . .we have the usual local news, hm, another price hike on the petroleum, huh?. . .well, lookie here, Prime Minister's going to visit Africa, what the hell ever for?. . .news abroad, hm,. . .US readies attack on Iraq sigh, at the rate they're going, we'll have another bloody world war on our hands –"   

Grandpa Hino's murmuring was suddenly interrupted when a loud noise was heard coming from inside the shrine of the temple.  And considering that he was sitting OUTSIDE of the temple and several yards AWAY from the front door, bespoke of the out-and-out intensity such a racket produced. 

"EEEYYYOOOWWWW!!!"

"Oh, put a sock on it!  You're such a crybaby!"

Grandpa Hino sighed in exasperation and bid a regretful goodbye to morning peace and solitude,

"Ladies and Gentlemen, World War III had just been declared. . .and it AIN'T happening in Iraq."

Who was he kidding?  Peace and Solitude?  In Cherry Hills Temple?  

*Poof* Totally Non-existent.

He could just picture it right now:

(*TING* On this side, ladies and gentlemen, our brave challenger for today. . .weighing 175 pounds, measuring 6 feet in height, capped with curly blond locks, and currently sporting a dreadful injury, he-----re's Jadeite, the Temple Aid!

And on this side, our current champion and mistress of the shrine, weighing 115 pounds, measuring 5 feet and 7 inches in height, with long luxurious raven hair, and wearing her infamous thunderous glare, he-----re's Rei Hino, the lovely and fiery Shrine Keeper!

Let the battle, begin! *TING*)

Hino-san merely chuckled under his breath and propped the newspaper more comfortably on his knees.

The shrine had never been this noisy – 

- nor alive. . .

. . .nor loving.

Grandpa Hino smiled and looked up to the skies, envisioning the serene face of his long-gone loving wife amongst the clouds, "Another day in paradise, isn't it dear?" 

The older man then moved to make himself more snug in his seat and continued scanning the daily for more news.

                              * * * * *

"EEOOOWWW!!!  That hurts!!!," yelled one indignant striking young blond, clutching the left side of the chair in a firm death grip, while his other arm was being administered to - in his opinion - VERY ill-treatedly.

"If you hold still, it wouldn't hurt as much!," countered one beautiful raven-haired woman, holding down the young man's other arm while applying ointment on the injured areas, rather ineffectively due to the latter's movements.

The young man was NOT about to back down, 

"If you hadn't lost your temper, THIS wouldn't have happened."

And neither would the young woman let it at that,

"If YOU hadn't goofed off in the first place, then I wouldn't have!"

Jadeite blinked.  Er, good point.

"Well,. . .well, YOU shouldn't have. . .left me alone with this chore!  Yeah, that's it!  You shouldn't have left me. . .ALONE, period." 

"What am I, your damn babysitter?!  How was I supposed to know you didn't know a damn thing about building one puny little fire – "

"It wasn't puny!  It was just starting to blaze,. . .and then it suddenly exploded for no reason!"

"You, idiot!  Of course, it'll explode, you put too much fuel in it!"

Damn!  Damn!  Damn!

Jadeite was definitely not on the BEST of moods today.  Based on the above exchange of tongue-lashing in ear-splitting magnitude, the dashing blond had just made, as the fiery vixen pointed out earlier, a 'bloody mess of things of idiotic proportions'.

Of course, he insisted it wasn't his gawddamn fault.  It was hers!  She shouldn't have left him in the first place!  Ok, ok, so MAYBE he was a bit careless in putting up a fire, but he had his damn reasons – and totally logical ones at that!

It was her damn fault that he was SO extremely troubled that he 'accidentally' put too much fuel in the fire pit.  I mean, for crying out loud, he was a competent weather-trained general in the past life, he DID learn a few survival skills along the damn bloody way.  He knew how to make a frigging fire!  It's just that – 

"Rae, is everything alright?"

Upon hearing the words, Jadeite's blood went up to a red-hot boiling point and his chiseled jaw clenched in biting fury.

Speaking of the bloody devil!   

Rae momentarily shifted her attention from administering ointment to the very much pissed-off blond, to gaze at the tall lean figure that was leaning against the sliding door, and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, Yuki.  Everything's alright.  Sorry 'bout this.  It's just a silly accident."

Tamayo Yuki looked uncertain but nodded his dark head in acquiescence.  He then gave the young woman a tender smile.

Jadeite was bristling.  

If there was one thing that the young blond can't handle, it was blood-red jealousy.  Physical and psychological stress, he can deal with.  Anger and rage, he can control.  But give him the 'J' word, he goes nuts!  And nutty people - you can't trust to just shut up.

"Are you done yet?!  My burn's not gonna get all healed if you're taking too long, you know."  Jadeite asked the young woman, who was, he noted irritably, still smiling at the 'idiot' on the door.

Rae's smile disappeared from her lovely face - a fact that Jadeite found agonizing - considering that HE was the cause of such loss.  He didn't mean for her to be the recipient of his ire, but then, he didn't mean to lose control of his mouth either.  It was an inexplicable urge to lash out – to comply with the dire need to wipe that smile off her face because it was meant for the other and not for him.  He would rather have anger, than kindness, if it meant it's wholly FOR him.

Again, nutty people can be so damn irrational at times. 

Shit!  Shit!  Shit!

The young woman turned her head towards the blond and gave him a chilling glare.  And in a deceptively sweet voice with underlying coolness, she spoke mockingly,

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jadeite.  Silly me, for taking too much of MY time to tend to YOUR wounds, -"

Jadeite winced.

" - Don't worry, I won't be taking up any more of your precious time.  Wouldn't want to ruin your schedule or anything."

With a final movement of her fingers, she firmly put the bandage in Jadeite's arm in place and stood up to leave.  The young woman tilted her head to face the completely baffled Yuki,

"C'mon Yuki, let's finish cleaning up the shrine.  Judging by the mess left by our resident 'clumsy oaf' here, it might take us the whole afternoon to clean it up."

And with that last comment, the raven-haired woman walked firmly out of the room, dragging a smug Yuki with her and leaving a sulking Jadeite behind.   

                              * * * * *

Jadeite sighed dejectedly.

It had been a couple of hours since the 'fire temple' incident and the young blond hadn't spoken to his fiery princess yet.

Well, that is, if she's willing to listen first.

"Damn. sigh Jadeite, YOU are such an asshole," Jadeite rebuked himself.

Zoisite was right.  He WAS a bastard.

A couple of minutes ago, he had just talked to his friends using their mind links and he can't help but feel pissed at the beginning – a fact which the other generals noticed immediately.

Zoisite of course, being his usual notorious self, started teasing Jadeite immensely, causing the young blond to shift in his place uneasily and his chi to flicker nervously.  Not to mention, that Nephrite and Kunzite were equally unrepentant in their amused reaction to his heartrending predicament.  

However, it never ceased to amaze him how talking to his 'brothers' calmed him in a way.  And in so doing, he was able to rethink of his recent behavior and to admit to himself that he did act 'unkindly' towards Rae.

Jaedite rolled his eyes upward and scoffed at himself.

'Unkindly' was an understatement.

He was jealous.  Bloody jealous.

Early that morning, like any day, Jaedite geared himself to another schedule of cleaning and preparing the temple in time for the day's activities – another opportunity for the young lad to be with his beloved and subtly woo her without her knowing, as he had for the past few weeks.

As he was piling up the wood needed in building up a fire, a passing Rae informed him that she won't be able to help him with this morning's chore because, she mentioned flippantly, she will be going 'with Yuki' to the market to purchase some. . .(of course, the rest of her sentence faded away for Jadeite after that).  All that mattered to him at the time, were the words 'with Yuki'.  

Rae was going to be 'with Yuki', with his rival.  Alone.

The two of them, alone.  

Jaedite was livid.  He didn't mean to.  Hell, he didn't mean for a lot of things to happen where his Firefly was concerned.  He knew that if he started to think irrationally and to allow his emotions to overcome him, that he would start acting like an asshole.

And he did.

And he was bloody successful at it.

And before he knew it, his emotions overclouded his common sense.  And the next thing he knew, the fire blazed out of proportions and his arm got caught in the small inferno.  Luckily, Rae hadn't left yet and calmly took matters to her own lovely hands, accompanied by a couple of hurled insults and foul language at the young man.  After which, she had – and Jadeite softened at this – gently took his arm and administered first aid to his (thank goodness) minor injuries.

Jadeite was - to say the least – bloody hurt, painfully embarrassed and still friggin' jealous as hell.  Hence, the seemingly jackass behavior of this morning.  And now –

- now he had to talk to his Firefly.

Jadeite sighed as he finally arrived at the sliding doors leading outside, towards the side deck of the temple, just beside Rae's room.  He remembered once, not too long ago, when he had seen last of the young woman's room. . .and her obvious lack of clothing at that time.

The young blond chuckled under his breath.

That was his Firefly alright.  

In all her wrathful glory.

And now it seemed, he'll be encountering that same passionate woman again.  Hah!  Lucky him.       

Jadeite took a deep breath, and then with his hands poised, his bandaged one was getting undone, he slowly pushed the door sideways to reveal a verandah overlooking the garden –

- and a young woman sitting at the edge of the deck, going through some slips of paper lying on her lap.  

Upon hearing the whish sound of a door opening, Rae turned to look and settled her gaze on the hesitantly smiling young man standing in front of her.  Seeing the blond man who had been, in her utmost horror and trepidation, fast becoming a constant object of her thoughts and imaginings, Rae's forehead crinkled with an annoying frown.

Intending to ignore the young blond completely, Rae turned her head to look back at the papers she had been carefully reading on top of her lap.  An instant later, she heard footsteps as Jadeite walked forward and sat down beside her in an uncomfortable heap.

Inwardly, the young temple keeper was suddenly panic-stricken, but was emotionally schooled enough to prevent her anxiety from showing in her face.  She won't be intimidated by the man!  She refused to be disturbed by his presence!  She won't allow herself to be overwhelmed!  She – 

"I'm sorry."

Rae blinked.  Her body immediately stiffened at the gentle voice.

NO, you idiot!!! No! No! No!  You weren't supposed to apologize!  You weren't supposed to make amends!  You weren't supposed to -     

"I was an asshole," the deep voice continued.  "I-I. . .the fire was my fault,. . .I wasn't careful enough.  And, well,. . .I was unfair to you, too.  I. . .I didn't mean to shout at you.  I guess, I was, well, I was. . .not thinking properly -"

"Damn right you weren't!"  A censuring voice broke through Jadeite's silent one.

Jadeite winced.  Oh---kay, I guess I deserved that.

"Yeah. . .and I'm sorry. . .and, thank you for tending to my burn.  You have been nothing but,. . .w-wonderful.  Thank you."

Heavy silence loomed over the two figures who were sitting side by side, but whose heads were facing forward.

Jaedite was scared stiff.  

In all his life, both current and past, he never was the type of man to be subdued so easily, who prided himself to act manly and appropriately.  He was honest to a fault, and because of it, had refused to make the same mistakes twice.  Hence, it had been a long time - too long, in fact - since he actually humbled himself enough to ask another to pardon him in his wrongdoings.  With the other generals, their strong loyal bond with each other as well as their knowledge and understanding of each other's behavior, somehow allowed them to have a relationship were one had no need of apologizing for one's rotten behavior. Besides, they were like brothers, there never was the need to act bastardly against one another.  Theirs was a brotherhood of calm camaraderie and balanced personalities. 

With Rae however, Jaedite was an entirely different man.

With Rae, Jadeite was at his strongest. . . as well as where he's most vulnerable.  Strong, because their love, as Jadeite recalled, made him complete.  Vulnerable, because theirs was an honest one.  And for one to be honest, one must live with both his and her good attributes, as well as disgraceful ones.

Jadeite had just showed his.

And now the moment of truth scared the silly shit out of him.

The young man knew that the raven-haired beauty have yet to remember him and their life together in the past.  For the past few weeks, all that ever comprised of their relationship were hurled insults (from her side), subtle flirting (from his), and just a tad of friendly concern.

Now however, Jadeite have yet to determine whether they were at the level where. . .they could start being honest to each other.

The stillness in the air continued to stretch at a painful length, and Jadeite's jaw clenched in silent anguish as he deemed Rae's silence a response to his silent plea.

He sighed.

His Firefly wasn't ready yet.

Jadeite then took a deep breath and managed to let out a small smile, attempting to mask his sorrows with a joke or two.

"Well, I better get going then.  Hino-san forgot to call the plumber and his tub was about to 'runneth' over with dirty water, not to mention some other vile stuff from his body."  Jadeite chuckled, albeit less humorously than what he intended.  The blond man then raised one knee, propping himself to turn and leave the silent woman.

His arm however, won't cooperate.

Baffled, Jadeite looked down at the offending limb and found another, one more delicate and pale, holding onto it.

Rae, still not looking at the confused man, drew his arm towards her, hence forcing the young man's body to lean forward, and nearer to hers as well.  A few more inches, and Jadeite would have been brushing his lips against Rae's luxuriant fall of raven hair.

With deft fingers, Rae efficiently, but gently, re-wound the bandage that was coming loose from his injured arm.  The young blond was frozen in place as he watched soothing fingers taking care not to tighten the dressing too much - as well as smelled the faint scent of lavender in her hair.

After what seemed like an eternity, Rae had finished binding the bandage, and still without looking at the young man, turned her attention back to her paperwork, but not before slipping out one last remark,

"After you finished with your chores, let me take a look at it again.  We might need to put in more ointment to avoid infection.  Until then, try to refrain from making an utter fool of yourself."

It was subtle, but it was THERE nevertheless.

Jadeite never knew how overwhelmingly happy he felt at that time. . .or how loved.

He looked tenderly at the woman still bent in her 'little project', and smirked in kind,

"Yes ma'am.  In the meantime, I will try toning it down from becoming an utter fool, to a pathetic 'clumsy oaf'."  And with a mocking salute, he rose, turned and walked smartly towards the temple.  All the while, smiling ridiculously at nothing,. . .at everything.

Unknowingly, a young woman was also doing the same.

For now.

                              * * * * *  

Ami was just on the verge of admitting herself in the insane asylum.

And for one to ACTUALLY claim that she'd be willing to admit HERSELF in the psychiatric ward, especially one as sharp-minded and quick-witted as herself, spoke tons about her current delirious state.

Mizuno Ami, THE Mizuno Ami, had just had a mental breakdown.

Her brain, she believed, was not functioning properly anymore.  It refused to perform adequately for her to ensure that she's alive and that indeed, she had full capacity of her sensory perceptions and mental equipment.  Her powerful brain, had chosen this particular moment, to shudder its last logical breath.

Why all the dramatic flare, you might ask?

Mina's rubbing off on me. Ami thought, momentarily regaining her senses.

The young blue-streaked hair woman was currently leaning her forehead at a brick wall of an old building located at the corner of Maple and Sakura streets, where most of the medical university students loitered after school.

The entire block of Sakura Street hosted several café establishments, allowing students to indulge themselves a cup or two of perkiness as they stay up late in studying medical jargons and various parts of the human brain, while theirs burned the midnight oil.

Ami was on her way to one, in fact.  She was supposed to meet her friend, Greg, at one of the more cozy cafes so that they could study together for their comprehensive exams on Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

Now however, all of the terms she memorized, all of the parts she studied,. . .were gone, practically nil.

And why?!

Ami breathe in deeply as she prepared herself in taking the plunge again. . .just to make sure.

Yeah, that's it.  She might be going through all this mental and emotional rollercoaster for nothing.  Silly of her.  Didn't she always make sure of facts first before coming up with a conclusion?

And with a final deep intake of breath, Ami straightened herself up and moved away from the wall.  Slowly, she shifted her body so that she'd be able to take a peek at the edge of the corner of the building, towards the street beyond.    

And almost lost herself.

                              * * * * *

Zoisite tipped his helmet back as he shouted instructions towards his men who were all over the site for the new building.  The company who hired his team was a generous one, and had wanted the best for their firm.  And Zoisite, being the intellectual genius and idealist that he was, wanted only the best.

He had just been promoted to foreman a few weeks ago and was – he grudgingly admitted – rather liking his job all too well.  He liked the challenge of overcoming certain barriers in the construction business that most have surrendered to.

Not Zoisite.  

And definitely not now when he's on a roll.

A few more days, and I could finally put my plans into action.

He had just availed a more er, livable apartment uptown – without the roaches and with a large frigging sink and tub to boot.  And finally had enough money to purchase a couple of decent clothing and men's toiletries.

He had been counting down the days when he could finally settle his immediate problems and start focusing on the more important ones.

Like his Water Nymph, for instance.

His Ami.

Zoisite smiled.  His life is almost perfect.  Hell, it's more than he could ask for.  But -

A frown however started to mar the handsomeness of his face.

Then what's this nagging feeling I had?  Why do I feel,. . .troubled?

Zoisite shook his head out of his stupor, and chuckled at himself, "I better stop worrying myself.  It's getting me nowhere."  

And with a smile on his handsome face, Zoisite turned and walked towards his vehicle, looking at the blueprints in his hands.  Upon reaching his truck, a lock of his strawberry-blonde hair had wafted in front of his face.  In an attempt to remove the offending strand, Zoisite raised his head to tuck the lock behind his ear – 

- and almost lost himself.

                              * * * * *

The two men had just finished drinking instant coffee from their tumblers and were about to resume their work, when one of them spoke to the other,

"'Ey Charlie.  Boss mention'd 'while go that damn pillar 'ere' ain't no need replacin."

"Huh?  But ain't that supos'd t'be the prim'ry support?  What's gonna hold 'ere two bloody poles?"

"Better ask d'Kid.  He's so damn smart, I ain't got no trouble from d' last buildn'g we 'ad."

"'Ere's the boy then?"

The two bulky men raised their heads and started scanning the site for a young lad in uniform, when their gazes fell on one figure standing a few yards away.

The younger of the two workers pointed his hand out.

"'Thar he is. . .What's he standin so bloody stiff for?"

"ohhh, our fella 'ere got his'self some serious troub'l."

"What dya mean, Charlie?"

"Darn, Tom, you 'lready blind, old boy?  Look at 'er dainty little thing at d'corner!"

Tom squinted his eyes to look at the figure in question – a petite dark-haired woman.  "Well, what's she standin so bloody stiff for?"

Charlie whacked the other man on the head.  "Idiot!  Don't 'ya get it?"

The older man turned his head and gazed distantly at his young foreman, who was now walking slowly towards the young woman at the corner,

"Our lit'l boy is growin up, Tom.  He's fin'ly gonna get his girl." 


	14. Love's First Encounter II

Replies to reviews:

Amanda: Rain hovers hesitantly over a puddle of Amanda fluff-goo  Uh,. . .Thanks!

ssteph: Thank you. ;) Kinda felt guilty for taking so long to update.  Hope you'll like the following chapters.

girl of darkness: Whoa, girl, looks like you liked ALL of the characters. ;)  Hehe, don't worry, Ami's gonna get her MAN!  Damn right she would. ;) Lita and Mina's chaps are up!

chintamani: Mwahahaha!  Damn right!  The dialogue between Rae and Jadeite WAS inspired by the one in Beauty and the Beast.  Mwahahaha!  I was watching a VCD of that film a few days ago, hence, the similarities. ;) Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Kaze no beru: Believe me, in order for you to put in a lot of humor in your fics, you ought to be a bit crazy in real life too!  You gotta be a LOONY like myself.  Thanks again! ;) Ohhh, now I know its ZoiSite and NOT ZoiCite.

Isis Aurora Tomoe: Thanks!  You've been such a good follower of this fic! ;)

bura400/Selenity07: Thanks! ;)  Kewl, you got to see the pic that started all this madness.  Would you believe that the one who made that pic, had also read and reviewed this fic?  Rain whips out a Mickey Mouse hat and a Disney flaglette, and started bawling her lungs out, "It's a small world after all!  It's a small world after all!"

wyannick54: Okidoki!  Thanks for reading and reviewing. ;)

Alias: Rain stumbles out from the boxing ring, sporting a wicked-looking black eye  C'mon, put 'er der! And promptly fainted in utter exhaustion *_* Thanks for readin'!

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IcePrincess: Thank you. ;)

NOTE TO 'OL:

I know this might sound absolutely pathetic considering that I've been posting this fanfic for quite sometime now, but can anyone give me the correct spelling of the senshi and shittenou's full names?  Silly me.  THANKS!!!

ALSO, I'm afraid there isn't much of a plot here, nor much of a senshi-shittenou encounter.  Sorry about that. :(  I'll try REAL hard next time. ;)

Chapter 13: Love's First Encounter II 

Mina was bawling her poor little lungs out. . .and almost lost a kidney or two in the process.

Artemis on the other hand, rolled his feline-looking eyes upwards and shook his head in utter exasperation as he comfortingly held a lovely, and VERY much hysterical - and not to mention overly dramatic and looking adorable despite of it all - Venusian princess in his strong arms. . .

. . .who was, at the moment, clad only in a fluffy towel. 

Oh boy.

"There, there, Mina. . .don't despair.  I mean, it was JUST a silly old thing –"

Suddenly, with a swiftness that could compete with the world record speed of one former meatball-head blonde, the fair-haired woman straightened herself up and glared dangerously at the young man, in spite of the fact that he was easily topping her slender form with a couple more inches of his impressive height. 

Artemis could have sworn he heard a sharp whip-lashing on the background. . .and was that a menacing growl he just heard? 

Uh-oh. The white-haired man tried desperately to rectify his humongous mistake,

"Ah, ehehehe, well,. . .what I ACTUALLY meant, was that. . .um, i-it's just absolutely SILLY for little OLD you to cry over such a um, little THING when, when. . .when I-I'll be out looking for it anyway!"

The blonde before him suddenly brightened up, eyes twinkling like a million tiny stars.  She immediately launched herself at the taller man and hugged him for all her worth, not minding the choking sound emitted by the latter who was desperately clawing himself away from her clutching hands,

"Oh, thank you so, so much, Artemis!  You're so kind I could just kiss you!  You're such an angel!"

The young blonde would have put her promise of kissing the young man into action, when suddenly, a husky contralto voice spoke in a dangerously hushed tone,  

"Well, I wouldn't go that far and say he's an angel,. . .ESPECIALLY if he's fooling around behind my back – and with a scantily clad woman at that."  

The hugging couple – well, actually, it's more of a lovely blonde girl having a death grip on a strikingly handsome guy – spun around in surprise at the sudden intrusion.  

Artemis practically yelped.

Mina, on the other hand, squealed in delight.

The young blonde immediately released her small but evidently well-built arms from around the staggering young man, only to launch herself on the figure standing a few feet away, enveloping her in an affectionate tender embrace, as the other returned her hug in kind.

"Luna!"

"Hey, Mina.  How are you, dear?"

"Oh, just dandy, Luna.  Just dandy.  Oh my, you look absolutely ravishing today!"

"And you're not so bad yourself, though I would have preferred that if you decided to dally with my husband only for me to find out, that you would dress appropriately for the occasion.  I dare say it's quite unfair to me to confront you and you looking absolutely divine in a towel while I look wretched with a huge bulge in my tummy."

Mina giggled naughtily at the grinning dark-haired beauty before her, and then slowly leaned down just enough for her head to rest gently on Luna's swollen abdomen,

"G'morning, baby."

Upon hearing Mina's gentle voice and sensing the aura that was Love's, the baby lurched in its safe haven within Luna's womb – obviously overjoyed by the presence of the princess of love.

Luna gasped in quiet delight as she sensed her baby's happiness.  The raven-haired beauty then felt another presence beside her as she looked up and gave her beaming husband a smile.

"Hey you," Artemis greeted his beautiful wife affectionately, his hand reaching out to tenderly pat her stomach, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Hey yourself stranger," Luna, her hand reaching out to cover his, answered in kind.

Mina grinned at the lovely couple.  If she were to leave abruptly, she could bet all ten of her painted toenails that the two wouldn't even notice her slight departure.

Artemis then steadily leaned forward to rest his lips on his wife's dainty neck, nuzzling the column of flesh lovingly – an act of affection manifested by their feline nature.  

Mina's grin grew.

Luna instinctively stretched her long neck in response to her husband's sensual touch, and upon doing so, her gaze fell upon the lovely blonde before her.  As if suddenly embarrassed at their *quite* public display of affection, the raven-haired woman swiftly grazed her lips at her husband's cheek one last time before stepping back.

Mina spoke teasingly, "Oh please, don't stop on my account!  Do go on!  I never knew feline mating rituals can be oh so interesting."

"Mina!" Artemis cried appallingly.

Luna merely smiled in quiet contentment innate to all expectant mothers.

"Oh Artemis, you're such a prude!" Mina admonished jokingly.  "It's obvious that you're both SO in love!  There's no need – "

"Mina –"

" – for you to hide that.  The whole world knows!  Besides, – "

"Mina will you –"

" – it's not as if it's the first time I saw you with Luna doing anything carnal –"

"MINA!!!" Artemis flushed in absolute mortification.

Luna burst in laughter, "Oh Mina, you ARE precious."

"Thank you."  The Venusian princess smiled mischievously at her dark-haired friend, but then sniffed indignantly upon looking at her companion, "Well, at least SOME of us are taking my precious feelings into account more seriously."  

Artemis shifted uncomfortably in his place, "Mina. . .I told you I'll take care of it, okay?"

"Take care of what, love?" Luna asked inquiringly.

The white-haired man sighed but rolled his eyes upward, "She lost her stupid Keith."

"Artemis, you're so mean!  Keith is not stupid!  He's adorable."  Mina dramatically laid a hand on her chest.  "He's the love of my life!"

Luna, her eyes wide in bewilderment, spoke in astonishment, "You got dumped by a guy?"

"Oh Luna," Mina continued as if nothing disrupted her tirade, "He's lost to me now.  I would never EVER sleep peacefully now that he's no longer beside me in bed at night."

Luna's jaw dropped in shock.  Her husband oh-so-kindly closed it for her.  

"Y-you slept with him?!  Already?!  You've already slept with, with. . .a guy?!"

"A doll, sweetheart."  Artemis murmured.

Luna facevaulted.

"A what?!"  

"Keith's a – "

" – my doll, Luna.  With the cutest little nose and beautiful long silver hair. . .sigh I always sleep with him."

For one mind-numbing moment, Luna stood speechless, eyes blinking in stupefaction and her mouth slightly open.  Then a sudden spark of realization dawned into her eyes, and with a sudden switch in mood, that even Mina found mind-blowing, the raven-haired woman looked knowingly at her dear husband.

Artemis's lips twitched but merely nodded his assent, before turning to look at his blonde princess, his eyes hiding a particular slip of knowledge only known to him, his wife. . .and a certain general in mind.

"Mina dear, I do think that a change in wardrobe is necessary at this moment.  As much as I find you attractive wearing a slip of cloth, I'm quite taken now."

Mina rose a delicate eyebrow at her Guardian for the sudden turn of events, then narrowed her gaze at the seemingly peculiar couple, "You're hiding something from me."

"Naturally." Luna added smilingly.  "We're felines in nature after all, stealth is inherent to us."

Mina growled.  The blonde hated to be left out on a secret.  ESPECIALLY, if it concerns her.

With all the grace one such a small feminine body can muster, the young blonde turned around and with an enticing movement of her hips, walked deftly towards her bathroom, 

"You two better be in a VERY talkative mood when I return!"  Mina cried as she closed her bathroom door to dress.

The remaining couple merely grinned.

* * * * *

"And then what happened?" a deep voice asked.

"Are you kidding?  We rushed out of there as soon as she closed the bathroom door.  Mina can be so cruel when she wants to."

You have no idea. Kunzite thought, as he remembered that night a few weeks ago when his beloved almost drove him insane with yearning with her seemingly ardent 'sleeping behavior'.  

"Besides," Artemis continued as both men walked towards the living room of the house that Kunzite was currently residing in, "you were just outside the house at that time.  A moment longer and you would have been found out.  Ever seen - as my wife oh-so-bluntly put it - a 'half-naked drop-dead gorgeous piece of ass' loitering around so early in the morning in this quiet, boring neighborhood before?  You're damn lucky noone saw you!"  

Kunzite amazingly, found himself feeling a bit warm on his cheeks, an indication of an oncoming blush, and tried to suppress it.  Although he knew of his good looks, he was still a bit embarrassed whenever someone pointed it out to him – crudely.

"So does that mean that Mina still doesn't know about me?"

"Er, yes and no."

"What?!"

"Eventually, we had to return to her after we took care of your er, situation.  We told her Luna had a sudden jolt of discomfort and had to look into it.  Being the motherly hen she was, she immediately bought it and fussed over Luna.  After a while however, she remembered the promise I told her to look for her doll – for you."

The two men stopped walking upon arriving at the living room and both sat down, Kunzite in a soft-leather recliner, Artemis on a corresponding couch. 

Immediately, several tiny steps were heard before the door to the kitchen burst to reveal newly-cleaned giggling twins carrying two cups of jello's each.  One of the Thompson twins rushed forward to settle herself on Kunzite's lap, handing him one cup of jello and giving him a toothy grin.  The other twin, shyly at first, sat near Artemis and silently offered him a cup, to which Artemis received with a smile.  Seeing that, the child scooted closer to the white-haired man and with a tiny elbow resting on his knee, started gulping down her jello.

Artemis was bewitched.

Deep in his heart, he yearned for the day when his wife would finally bear his child into the world so that he could spoil the kid rotten. . .and feed him/her all the jello's in the world.

After Kunzite 'escaped' from Mina's room, Artemis and Luna decided to aid the tall general, ergo, the former was now residing in a quaint comfy house next door to the Thompson twins, which in turn, was but a few steps away from Mina's home.  Seeing that the silver-haired shittenou have yet to adjust to his environment as well as the way of living in the 21st century, Artemis have seen to the former's education – as well as basic needs.

A few weeks or so, Kunzite, with the help of Luna, got a job as an administrative staff in an advertising conglomerate where Luna was working as a copy writer and an account officer.  Unsurprisingly, the seemingly quiet general was able to adjust admirably with life in modern day Tokyo.

Artemis winced.

Well, not really ALL that admirably.  For one thing, the guy still has the severe austerity of an iceberg.  Quiet, aloof and brusque.  IF it weren't for his amazing learning curve at work, management would have thrown him out weeks ago.

Artemis grunted.

Add that to the fact that half of the female population in the firm would have thrown a fit if it so happened that their favorite 'stalking material' has been pulled out from under their noses.  The guy was a walking popularity poll, for crying out loud.  He just got to continue in fending off those loony, suddenly silverhair-crazed girls, and keep them WAY out of arm's length.

But then first things first. . .how to cover up the abrupt disappearance of 'Keith' and the sudden appearance of Kunzite in Mina's life.

"You look troubled.  What's on your mind?" Kunzite asked quietly, his arms around the little girl on his lap.

Artemis sighed, "We need to figure out how to explain to Mina about your presence, as well as the absence of her doll.  It's not going to be pretty when she finds out I can't actually return her 'Keith' to her in its original form." 

"Let me."

"Huh?"

"Let me do it."

"Do what?  Come up to her and say, 'Hey, you gorgeous you, it's me, your once-cute-little-doll, we wanted to inform you of our promo to avail us in life-size figures, just sign on the dotted line and I'm yours for life!'"  Artemis ranted sarcastically.

"Yes." Kunzite replied smartly, wiping off a dollop of jello from his pants that fell from the little girl's platter.

Artemis studied the man before him, and then groaned in utter frustration, "You're not gonna tell me, are you?"

The silver-haired man merely shifted the kid on his lap on a more comfortable position.  He then gently accepted the offered spoonful of jello by the giggling freckled-face girl.

Artemis growled, "Damn you, Kunzite."

"Hush Artemis,. . .there ARE young minds about."  Kunzite answered in kind.  "Don't want them having such colorful language now do we."

Artemis bristled.

                              * * * * *

Lita was having a blast.

Oh, yes siree, she's having a damn wonderful bloody time.

The tall dark haired woman groaned in dissatisfaction.  Wearing her new emerald suit and sporting trendy jade-tinted glasses, Lita was currently lounging at the garden pool of one of the more posh hotels in Tokyo called the Sakura Garden Hotel, where she had just landed a job as an assistant head chef a few days ago.  As an occupational incentive, all members of the hotel staff were privileged with the use of the hotel's facilities and equipment for a certain amount of time during their day-offs.       

"Lita honey, want some of my delectable piña-coco vodka cruiser?  It's absolutely thirst-quenching and oh-so delish!"

Lita groaned.    

Day-off, indeed. 

"Err, no thanks, er, Harold.  Um, I don't think I'm quite up with the uh, heavy drinking stuff yet."

And the fact that the combination of pineapple and coconut is making my poor little tummy churn upside down has EVERYTHING to do with it.

"Nonsense, honey -"

Lita cringed at the endearment.

" – a beautiful sophisticated girl like you can handle your alcohol real fine."

The burly bald man then reached out a huge beefy arm and circled the cringing Lita in a half embrace.  The young brunette almost puked in repugnance as she felt some of the putrid sweat from Harold, the hotel's assistant sales manager, on her bare arms.  

Oh God,. . .please have mercy and simply just kill me right now!  ARGH!!!

Lita then turned to give a stern, deadly look at the huge man, who since day one, had made it his agenda to make certain passes to the young 'pretty brunette', saying that 'all staff members of tis here's great hotel must build good camaraderie with each other'.

Camaraderie, my foot.  Lita bristled.

"Honey, what do you say you and me go find a. . .quiet cozy place to get to, you know, know each other?  I can TREAT you real fine, girl."  Harold's reeking breath whispered in her ears, his hand of the arm around her body caressing the sides of her breast.

Lita was furious.

For weeks she had been busting herself out just to get this job, and now some low-life loser was about to ruin it all for her.  The brunette heard the underlying tone to Harold's 'suggestion' and the implications it carried - 'you make me happy, or else'.

"So, what do you think, Lita-honey?  C'mon now, let's have some fun with Harold-babe."

Another hand.  This time, on her bare thigh.

Lita was livid, and she felt tears in her eyes at the unfairness of it all.

Oh God,. . .I'm sorry Serena, I guess you have to wait another more year before I could treat you out.  Enough IS enough!

"I think not."  Lita suddenly lifted the arm around her shoulders and stood up, looking down at the shocked, and slowly fuming burly man.

"Excuse me?!"  The huge man stood up to face the enraged beauty before him.

Lita merely raised an eyebrow.

"Are you deaf?  I said, I THINK NOT.  You see, I am not overly fond of those 'cozy places', especially when most of the air will be dead due to your stench."

Harold's face turned red at the insult, and if not for the seriousness of the situation, she would have laughed out loud at the hilarious sight.

The beefy bald man then scowled at Lita.

"You better be watchin what you're saying, slut.  Or else. . ."

Lita can't help it.  She striked.  It was purely instinct.

Noone. . .absolutely NOONE EVER dared call her a slut.  Especially not some asshole pot-bellied balding jerk with a big 'L' for loser on his frigging oily forehead!

The next thing she knew, the scum she gave an upper punch to was found sitting on the ground with a hand holding to his face as blood flowed freely from his pug nose.  The people around the pool gasped at the sight, and one of them, probably a staff, went inside of the hotel talking rapidly regarding the incident on a hand radio.

Lita cursed.

Now she's in deep shit.

Oh what the heck!  The brunette shrugged, then put up a defensive pose.  I'm in dire need of an exercise anyway.

"Y-you bitch!  You fucking bitch!  YOU'RE FIRED!  You hear?  You're fucking outta here!"  Harold shouted through muffled speech considering that he still had his hand over the front of his swollen face.

Lita, despite her strong stance, was crestfallen.  She had just lost her first job.

She then raised her chin higher and smiled smugly.  

Oh well, at least I get to loose my job with a bang.  This is really gonna hurt my credentials.  But what the heck, I get to punch the jerk, anyway.

The portly man, who had by now stood up from his fallen position, got more maddened at the sight of the smiling girl.

"Bitch!  GET OUT!!! Get out before I throw your ass out!  You -"

"Tsk tsk, is that the way a high level hotel staff member supposed to act towards his colleagues?" a smooth voice suddenly came out of nowhere. 

Harold immediately spun around at the sound of the condescending voice and scowled at the tall ruggedly handsome man standing behind him.  

Lita gasped, eyes widened and glazed – dumbstruck to the core.

Dear lord. . .it - it couldn't be. . .but - it's impossible. . .

The tall dark-haired man turned to bestow a gaze on Lita - his emerald eyes staking out a claim for his mate – and gave her one tiny but devastating smile.

A few girls from the crowd gasped at the wondrous sight.

Lita was numb.

Then the handsome stranger, who was not a stranger at all to one Jupiterian princess spoke in a deep voice,

"Hello, love. . .by the way, loved the suit."

It was then that Lita fell into a dead faint.


	15. Love's First Encounter III

Replies to reviews:

Ocianne: Me torturing you? ;) Mwahahahahaha!!!  Rain was seen taken away in a straitjacket, a pair of handcuffs, several gags. . .the works.

Yavanna: hehe, thanks!  Glad you liked the fic. ;)

Kaze: Bwahahaha, I made Lita faint. I am sooo evuhl! ;) Ami's chap on the way!  

wyannick: Thanks! ;)

Isis Aurora Tomoe: Ohohoho, the girls are meeting their MEN!  Nuninuninuuu. . .

Tigeress Moon: haha, believe me honey, it ain't that easy to write a fic on 4 couples – and ALL in one fic. . .at the same time, making the story of each senshi/shittenou unique and yet, consistent with the whole story.  Glad you adore this fic. ;)

Blue Quartz: Hey girl, thanks for the info on the senshi's names, I really appreciate it.  Rain whips out a few sheets of crumpled papers stained with soda and chips. And to show you my appreciation, tis here chap is for you!* ;)
    
    Aisha Leilani: . . . I'll keep checking back!. . .   Oh my god,. . .NOW I'm REALLY pressured! ;)  Thanks for readin'!
    
    Heerosgurl: hehe, well here it is, the next chap!  Enjoy dear. ;)
    
    Gizelle: *sniff* *sniff* Thanks for the encouragement. ;)
    
    milady: Thanks!  Hehe, I don't know why but I really liked the Rei/Jadeite pairing.  They're both stubborn and passionate.  Oohhh, my kind of people. ;)
    
    The Black Gryphon: hehe, sorry for the long time it took to update the story.  But hey, you got to admit, it ain't THAT easy to write a fic on all 4 couples.  I'll try my best though. Rain crosses fingers and toes.
    
    Destiny's_Fate(): thanks!  Hehe, enjoy the next chap, it's on Ami and Zoi. ;)
    
    dreamer(): Please, please update soon. I'm dying here!... Whoa, girl!  Don't wanna cause any suicidal tendencies here. ;) Thanks, and here goes the next chap.  Enjoy! 

girl of darkness: Thanks for the vote of confidence, and er, I do hope that my being, ahem, a bit overdue on doing this particular chapter will not result in you being um, 'pissed-off'. Eheheh! big sweatdrop.  And thank you so much for the info on the senshi's names. This chap is for you!!! ;)

Amy: thanks!  I hope to 'hell' that I too, will get to update this story majorly quick! ;)

Lightning Gurl: Thanks!!!  Hope you enjoy the next chaps!!!

Abigail: Haha, thanks. . .you have no idea how I scrape my brains out (ewww, Hannibal Lecter on the making!), just to come up with those scenes. Hehe, enjoy!

Chapter 14: Love's First Encounter III 

Blink, blink. . .

Ten minutes. . .ten whole frigging silent minutes, and all they ever did was –

. . .blink, blink.  

Ooh, what fun.

No words.  No movements.  Not even a clearing of the throat to dislodge the bulge of moisture suddenly found stuck in their gullets.  There was only silence, stillness, and the fast thudding of a certain body organ located in the chest region that failed to register the urgent messages sent by one agitated brain to do something other than just stand there like a frigging idiot.

Until finally – FINALLY - in the bloody fullness of time, one of them DID manage to snap out of their trance – 

- er, that is,. . .when an eager little fly thought it could make a certain blond's gaping mouth its humble abode.

Zoisite abruptly reeled back, choked and wheezed, and nearly bowled over at the sudden intrusion of the tiny insect in his gaping mouth,  

"Pwe, pwe, pwehhh!!!  gaspcough acckk,. . .shit!" 

The young blond rubbed his mouth rapidly with the back of his hand, trying to wipe off the tingling sensation the fly left in his tongue.  With his handsome face suddenly flushed, he bent down, hands on top of his knees, as he continued coughing it out of the rest of his poor system.  He quickly reached for his side to retrieve a water canister he kept there for long hot afternoons, opened the cap a bit clumsily if not despairingly, and swallowed unimaginable huge gulps of distastefully warm water, half of which was lost in the midst of continuous bouts of coughing.  

A few nerve-wracking minutes later - and three-quarts of water less – the young blond was able to calm down long enough for him to take a deep soothing breath and to let out a long, relieved sigh.  His skin coloring was thankfully returning to normal. . .uh, well most of it anyway.

Zoisite continued breathing deeply as he slowly replaced the water flask back to the loop attached on his belt, his mind still numb from the 'FATAL' near-death experience. 

Shit!  What the hell. . .was th- 

"Are you. . .alright?"

Zoisite nearly choked to his death for the second time that day as he altogether stopped breathing at the sudden tone, and turned his strawberry-tinged blond head slightly to his left.

Dear lord, the angel beside him had just spoken.

And not only did she speak, one of her small hands was placed lightly on his broad back - must have put it there as he choked on the wretched fly, rubbing it soothingly and comfortingly back and forth.  Despite the fact that it wasn't romantically intended in the first place, the thought of her touching him - not to mention the tingling sensations brought about by her soft palm rubbing his backside – only made Zoisite groan inside.

And her eyes. . .(damn), her beautiful ocean-depth eyes were clouded with great concern.  She had the cutest little troubled frown on her dainty little forehead, just lightly covered by some wispy blue-tinged bangs.

Gulp.

Zoisite can't help it.  And damned if he did!  

It was like one of those psychological 'marshmallow' tests that loony psychiatrists often try on little kids just to test their patience and endurance.  Hell!  You have one sweet, and definitely quite the drool-worthy lip smacking tasty marshmallow in front of you, and you're damn expected to deny such heavenly delights?!  Who in his bloody right mind would do such a blasted thing?  Duh!  And to think, they expected kids to just stand by and wait?  Was depriving yourself the simple pleasures in life supposed to be a sign that you're psychologically sound and mentally healthy?  Puh-lease!!!  

Nuh-uh.  Not this kid.  DEFINITELY, not THIS kid.  

It had been so long,. . .SO bloody long since he last had her in his arms.  Lady Fortune must have smiled down on him last time when he brushed those sweet lips with his own on that day when he awakened and stumbled upon her in her delightful bathroom.

Zoisite cleared his throat nervously.

Oh yeah, now THAT was quite interesting.

Zoisite's breath hitched when he remembered the term Jadeite used in describing that particular incident.  Tryst, indeed.

And now, another one was bound to happen. . . 

Zoisite, eyes glazed and mouth slightly opened, and who was still very much captivated by the sight of the similarly-dazed exquisite woman before him, slowly and helplessly leaned over and, -

Dear lord. . .

Whack!

- found himself suddenly getting 'whoop-assed' somewhat forcefully on the back.

Zoisite yelped at the sudden impact on his backside and almost, ALMOST (dear heavens!) made sweet precious contact with the luscious mouth before him.

Tsk-tsk, talk about crying over spilled milk.  

Zoisite facevaulted.  He was as distraught as a kid who just spilled his milk just as he was about to dunk his Oreo's in its mouth-watering dairy goodness.  

Oh boy, SOMEBODY was going to pay big time – especially when you mess with a frustrated romantically-destitute former warrior-general.

Before the infuriated blond could completely turn and confront the culprit unfortunate enough to cross one very dissatisfied 'Oreo lover', a deep rumbling voice spoke from behind, 

"Hey there, kid!  What's a keeping 'ya?  We've been,. . .ooh, well, lookie lookie 'ere."

Zoisite groaned.

And almost buried himself in the ground like a pathetic bashful 'ostrich'.

Oh boy, NOW, he's really gonna get it.  

"Hot diggity dang!  Ya'r such a cute litl thang, ain't 'ya lass?  Tom old boy, I think our lad's 'ere has been keepin' ere's lit'l angel from us REAL men," bellowed one grinning giant man with an unkempt moustache towards another equally-brawny companion.

Zoisite cringed.  Keeping?  Her?  I wish. . .good lord, I WISH. . .

"Er,. . .um, Charlie, it's not exactly what you thin – oof!"  The young blond suddenly found himself with a massive arm wrapped around his neck as another large figure stood behind him wearing worn-out navy overalls and a huge grin, his hat askew on top of his grayish-brown head.

"'Yar tellin' me Charlie, tis 'ere boy ain't know nuthin 'bout the et-. . .etic-, um –"

"Etiquette, Tom."

" –er, yeah, etiqeet-whatever - of bein' a true blue-blooded gentleman!  What were 'ya doin all standin' 'thar openmouthed-wide, boy?!  Waitin' for the flies to come a-flockin in 'yar bloody mouth?"

"Hey!"

Ami couldn't help it. 

She giggled herself silly.

At first, the Mercurian princess was a bit – NO, make that COMPLETELY edgy when the young blond kept staring at her since they stood before each other in front of her favorite café called the BLUE QUARTZ* at a street corner on her way to a group study.  Then she became restless and a bit – NO, erase that, TOTALLY jittery when he slowly leaned over and heaven knows where THAT particular scene would lead to.  When the huge men came and started 'harassing' the young blond, she stumbled back a bit in alarm, and admittedly, felt suddenly protective and possessive of him.

At this, Ami flustered.  Why in the name of everything that was wonderfully sane, should she feel THAT way?  He's a total – well, okay, maybe NOT a total stranger, but he's still. . .well, he's still strange.  Dear heavens, she didn't even know his name!  Then again, she DID hear herself uttering his name when she was swept away in memories of her past life as a guardian of the moon princess while in the arms of the blond several weeks ago.

Zoisite.

What an enigmatic name.  For an equally enigmatic man.

Just the sight of the man made everything for Ami extraordinarily surreal and, well, oddly. . .invigorating.  As if her poor heart – and even poorer mind - can't handle the overpowering implications of this man's presence in her life.  

Seeing the friendly faces of the heavily-built old men as they bantered with the young man in denim overalls, as well as the calm countenance of the latter, comforted her palpitating little heart somehow, as if everything was – just as it should be.  She was glad at least that some people acknowledged the blond's presence in this world, allowing her to mentally cross out hallucination and mental instability from her list of explanations.  There might be a lot of unanswered questions between them, but at least one thing's for certain, she's going to get her questions and doubts about 'him' settled one way or another.

The giant men before her kept teasing the young blond and Ami can't help but smile at their crazy antics.  Not only that, they were right about the fly-in-the-mouth thing.  She remembered how concern she was when the blond man started coughing violently just to rid of it from his system.

"Zach, my boy, ya'r one swell kid," chortled one of the men as he ruffled the young man's long blond locks, while the latter merely grumped good-naturedly. 

Ami suddenly frowned.

Zach?

"Sumthin' wrong, kitten?"  The man with the moustache asked.

Ami suddenly looked up at the older man whom they called 'Charlie', still wearing a confused look.  

Zoisite swiftly turned his head to look closely at Ami and found that indeed, she looked a bit bothered.  He hoped she was not highly offended at his friend's jokes and banters.  They might be rowdy and well, even bloody scary sometimes, but hey, they're good men.

The young blond, slowly moved away from the massive figures of his men and towards the young woman as if in a protective manner, his posture suddenly alert at any discomfort that the girl might have.  Instinctively, he reached out to touch a slender arm in comfort.  Zoisite gave her a reassuring smile.

The young woman then looked up straight into his eyes, her azure gaze liquid and wide.  And something else.

Zoisite suddenly hesitated and refrained his hand from touching her.  Something was wrong.

In a quiet voice, he heard his angel spoke in quiet tones, "T-they called y-you. . .Zach."

Zoisite stilled.

Shit.

What a way to start a morning.

                              * * * * * 

Cherry Hills Temple.

At the height of noon.

Cherry and maple leaves danced in tune with the soft blowing breeze, birds chirped their songs of courtship as the flowing sound of the small waterfall at the back of the temple soothed the calm air.

Quiet.  Laid-back.  Relaxing.  Soothing.

But NOT definitely lasting.

"RAE!!!"

"Oh for goodness' sakes, Mina, can't you tone down a little?  I'm trying to concentrate here!"

Mina raised an eyebrow.  "Doing what?  You've been staring at that fire pit for almost a hundred years and a century hence!"

Rae sighed in exasperation.  

Talk about exaggeration. Mina cannot be farther from the truth.  To be honest, the perky blonde had every right to whine considering that the dark-haired shrine keeper has been. . .well, a bit negligent of her hospitable duties as hostess to her not-so-easy-to-ignore guest.  Then again, she can't help it if. . .

"Yoohoo. . .Venus to Mars, come in Mars," Mina waved a hand in front of the once again baffled woman garbed in an intricately designed scarlet kimono.

Rae shook her head slightly as if to clear her mind, "Huh? Uh-what?"

Mina sighed.  

SOMEBODY undeniably needed a bit of luvin' here . . AND some major thwacking on the head as well!

Mina stood in front of her raven-haired friend, took both of her elegant shoulders and leveled her a look, "Rae precious, you're as lost as a cute little puppy tossed in a giant fishbowl."

Rae blinked.

"Uh, Mina, I don't exactly get what you – "

"Imagine you're a cute wittle puppy - hmm, I guess an adorable black Labrador will do, considering your luxurious mane of midnight-black hair and all –"

"Mina, this is silly, I can't possibly think myself as a puppy –"

" – and then imagine yourself being plunged in a fishbowl, and it was a hu---ge bowl mind you, one you cannot easily get out of. . .and you absolutely, ABSO-frigging-LUTELY detest, and I mean with utmost loathing, THE dreaded fishbowl -"

"What's a fishbowl got to do with me being –" 

". . .not to mention the sand on the bottom of the bowl would thoroughly ruin all that lovely black fur of yours – "

". . ."

"- but I guess that's besides the point, the point is Rae –"

Rae merely sighed in utter surrender and rolled her eyes upwards.  Might as well let the vivacious princess of Venus have her way, for now.

Mina merely continued her lecture, " – the point is,. . .the puppy in the fishbowl?  That's irrelevant."

Rae had a stupid blank look on her exquisite face.

Mina smiled animatedly in a way that only she can and explained, "Because. . .the puppy wasn't even supposed to be IN the fishbowl in the first place.  Why worry about something that is totally ludicrous and nonsensical?  Unless of course, the owner of the puppy was born a sadist and deserved to be hanged for being cruel to an adorable puppy, hmp!  What I'm saying is,. . .whatever's bothering you, may not be as troublesome as you think.  Forget the fishbowl, focus on the doggy litter instead.  There might be a lot of shit and all - pardon the crude words – but at least, it's more your line."

For a couple of milliseconds, the dark-haired beauty could have sworn the whole world stopped moving to drop their jaws - including her.  The blonde merely lifted a finger to close the gaping mouth, and turned to go through the sliding doors leading out of the shrine worship area.

"Now, since that's done and over with, come and tell dear Mina about that gorgeous piece of blond that I saw sweeping the front of your temple when I came in.  Where did you ever find such a hottie, and I mean, HOTTIE?"  

Upon hearing that the new topic of conversation was no other than the resident clumsy oaf and shameless flirt of the temple (as well as the uppermost occupant of one Marsian princess' mind –-- and unknowingly, her heart), Rae's slight shock was totally forgotten to be replaced by – 

- sudden reddening of her cheeks and a delicate scowl forming on her lovely forehead.

Rae stopped walking, stiffened both her posture and tone, and crossed her arms in front of her chest, "Who?  The temple aid?  A hottie?  Puh-lease, don't make me throw up lunch.  Better have your eyesight check, Mina."

Mina's lips twitched as she turned around to regard her totally riled-up friend, and teased, "Ohhh, such a passionate response to such a simple inquiry.  Do I detect a tinge of possessiveness in your tone, dear Rae?"

Rae harrumphed and tilted her chin in a defiant gesture, her walk a bit stilted as she continued strolling towards the corner of the temple leading to a corridor where the door towards the kitchen and dining area was located.

"Don't be ridiculous.  The man's an absolute nincompoop.  Can't even put up a small fire, much less do half of the chores here at the temple.  Why the bloody hell would I be interested in –-- Ahhhh!!!"

Rae suddenly yelped in surprise when upon turning at the corner, her foot had gotten tangled up with an untidy heap of idle rope causing her to loose her footing and stumble towards the wooden floor.  Braising for impact, she closed her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her to protect her lovely face from the seemingly painful fall.

But it never came.

Rae, whose eyes were still tightly closed, instantly realized she was actually floating on air and was very much far from having her beautiful face disfigured or bruised.

Opening one eye, she immediately saw white.

Oh god, am I dead?!

Rae started scolding herself for thinking such and attempted getting a grip on her 'hysterical' self.  She was supposed to be the cool, bitchy fire princess of the group - prudent and levelheaded, not the panicky and clumsy meatball-head!

Moving her hands slowly further away from her face, she soon discovered herself being cradled by strong well-built arms and that she was pressed against a warm body wearing what seemed to be, a white temple robe.

A white temple robe.

A temple robe.

A robe.

Which means – 

Rae suddenly felt warm as she understood the implications of such a discovery.  

"Sweetheart, are you alright?"

Rae's heart lurched – if because of wrath or yearning, she know not,. . .she has yet to determine later on what her heart was telling her then, but now, now her mind just plain refused to understand or accept.

How dare he?!  How dare the jerk called her that?  The idiot.  The gall!  

Rae turned to look up, all fired-up and ready to give a certain 'blond temple aid' a blast of her icy glare, to trample on the man's super inflated ego, to give the nitwit a piece of her formidable mind.  Oh, and what a piece it will be!    

Taking a deep breath, violet gaze raised to met azure ones.

And just like that,. . .the flame flickered down and died.

For in the depth of those sapphire eyes, Rae found herself drowning.  Not even the small gasp of one delightfully-surprised blonde and her slowly departing slim figure was noticed by them.

There was too much, dear lord, just too much of what was in those eyes that the intense magnitude of it all completely overwhelmed the fire maiden.  Concern, worry, fear. . .and love?

Rae mentally shook her head.  

But it's not just possible.  It couldn't be.  It must be a mistake!

"It's no mistake, love."  Jadeite whispered his response to her silent cries.

Rae's breath hitched.  Her mind – and heart – couldn't handle all that was happening and as usual, her guards were up.  She just flat-out refused to be manipulated by her overacting emotions and in doing so, relied on her standoffish attitude to hide her faults.  

Struggling out of the embrace, Rae lashed out, "What are you talking about, you jerk?!"

Jadeite mentally recoiled at the harsh tone, but retained his firm but gentle hold on the woman as the latter attempted to remove herself from his embrace.

It was time.  And by god, he'd be damned if he would let it pass by.  He had been waiting for weeks for even a sliver of a chance to finally reach out to his _Firefly and reassure her that in the midst of the confusion and emotional roller-coaster she might have due to the yet to be awakened memories of their past life together, that ALL of it was real.  _

For days, ever since the reconciliation they had over the fire incident, Rae and Jadeite have grown more comfortable around each other.  There was still the usual vicious bickering and vehement explosions and upsetting fall-outs, but then, there were also quiet moments where both were just content to be with each other's presences.  There were also the undeniable thoughtful gestures and unconscious warm glances. 

Rae, despite her self-denial, was mysteriously drawn to the ardent blond.  Jadeite on the other hand, needed no further discernment of the situation.  He knew what he wanted, and he wanted it REAL bad.

"You were scared and confused."  Jadeite spoke in a mild tone.  

Rae's heart made a painful lurched at the precision of the blond's words and started struggling more to escape his embrace,

"Damn you, let me go!  How would YOU bloody know?!  Can you read people's emotions?  DO you _see_ people's minds?"

Jadeite lifted one arm from his hold of the struggling dark-haired beauty to tenderly touched one soft cheek, his eyes never leaving hers. 

"I see YOU."

Rae ceased her struggle as she looked into the blond's eyes, hers no longer enraged but surprisingly yet beautifully tear-filled.  Jadeite smiled sadly,

"I see you, and I knew. . .You see me, but you turned away.  You're not ready, I understand.  You're scared and confused, so was I."   

Jadeite then slowly stood up, carefully aiding the woman in his arms on her feet, but kept his arms around her, rubbing them back and forth for comfort.  He then, tilted her chin gently upwards with a finger to settle her gaze on him.

And then carefully and deliberately, kiss her on the forehead, on the tip of her nose, and finally, on the corner of her mouth – all the while, she stood unexpectedly silent and still, other than the initial gasp of astonishment as Jadeite touched her with his lips.  Stepping back, the blond wiped a tear on her cheek that fell from one eye, and looked at her with such passion and intense determination – and loving sincerity.

"I will wait, no matter what - and whether you like it or not.  I have always been yours, as you. . .will hopefully be mine."

And with a final nod, and a knowing irritating wink, he turned and left.

For a long time, Rae kept her head down, silent and unmoving, staring down at the floor thoughtfully,. . .

. . .and then – with a delicate scowl on her lovely face, raised her head and regarded the place where the departing figure left, irritatingly if not affectionately.  She mumbled, 

"The idiot.  Forgot to wind the rope properly again.  The gall!"

                              * * * * *

At the bottom of the flight of steps leading away from the Cherry Hills Temple, Mina turned and looked back at the shrine, a knowing smirk on her charming face.

"It's about time!  She finally gotten herself a man!"

The blonde then continued trekking down the slope that would eventually led her to the city, her steps light and her posture relaxed, cheerfully humming a song under her breath.

"Hm, I wondered if Artemis was able to find Keith.  Oh!  Maybe I'll pay him a visit!"

And with that, the blonde rushed towards her home block.


	16. Author's Note and Teaser

Rain ducks ala-Matrix-like as rotten tomatoes were hurled towards her.

"Alright, alright already! I'm sorry I – Ouch, hey!!!"

Rain got whacked on the head by a huge mallet out of nowhere.

"Argh!!! Gawd---dammit! Why I oughta – "

Rain turned around, all flushed, to face the doomed culprit. . .but was suddenly stopped short when she gazed into several narrowed frosty (yeouch!) eyes –-- and sweatdropped at the sight of several raised mallets and buckets of rotten vegetables all lined up ready for launch. . .not to mention the threatening growling sounds emitting from snarling rabid mouths.  

"Ah, ehehehee,. . .err, hello, y'all."  -_-

"Okay, okay, I'm at fault here!  Okay, okay, I'm one low-down, good for nothing, inconsiderate fanfic writer!  But hey, I'm only human!!!  I need to live too, you know!"

". . . . . . . . . "

Rain almost sighed in relief. . .

. . .then all hell broke loose.

Suffice to say, Rain went home as a vegetable salad. :-)

Guys, I promise to have the next chapter out soon, like maybe next week or so, just be patient with me, ok?  

Anyway, as a consolation (hehe) below's a teaser for the next chapter, which is actually silly because it's a bit long for a teaser.  It tells of a dream sequence of Lita's on the Silver Millenium.  This particular memory of hers came from an past encounter with Nephrite, even before the mock-battle scene they had on an earlier chapter.  Enjoy!!!

Teaser to Chapter 15: Destined to Meet

"Ohhh. . ."

The slim figure on the bed moaned softly as she stirred restlessly in her slumber, her head moving from one side to another, while her long wavy auburn hair rustled delicately on the soft pillow beneath.  The blanket covering her slim form slipped from one elegant shoulder to reveal the smooth expanse of her delicate neck and collarbone, barely covered by the two-piece emerald swimsuit she wore underneath. 

Despite the fact that Lita was lying on a very comfortable bed in a luxuriant 5-star hotel, her body movements were quite agitated, frantic. . .and unknowingly, a bit alluring.  Her eyelids were closed, and yet its rapid eye movements connoted that the tall pretty brunette, was currently in deep slumber. . .and dreaming. . .

_Dream Sequence - Silver Millenium_

Lita looked up into Lord Nephrite's handsome guarded face and almost yelped, "I am. . .delighted that they've found each other."

She then turned from the wary figure of the earth general to her contemplation of the young couple strolling in the gardens of the Earth Royal Palace below the balcony where they stood.  The light emanating from the moon in the sky shone against the silvery radiance of the woman's long blonde hair, while the head of the man beside her glinted raven black.    

"It will be nice to have the prince as a part of, er, - of our family.  Queen Serenity delights in his company actually," Lita continued.

Nephrite spoke quietly, but his voice deepened with an emotion yet to be expressed, "You will live with them, then, my lady?"

Lita turned her head in surprise.  "W-well, of course.  I am a princess, but I am above all, a Moon Guardian.  My duty is with the Princess Serena.  I-I can hardly remain h-here on earth if they are to live on the Moon Castle." 

The tall earth general shifted in his position, cursing himself for being a self-torturing fool.  

_Damn, damn, and double damn.  If only – _

If only he had told her earlier of his feelings, then he would not have been cheated out on the chance of loving the Jupiterian princess.  As luck would have it, General Jadeite have announced nonchalantly at tea a few days ago, in front of both the Earth and Moon people, of his intent on wooing the tall pretty brunette.  Nephrite never knew that his friend was interested in the Lady Lita thinking that Jadeite seemed taken with the Martian princess who arrived together with the other senshi's several weeks ago for the engagement of the Princess Serena to Prince Darien.  Besides, he KNEW that Princess Lita danced only ONCE with Jadeite during one of the balls where both set of guardians got to know each one (it was also then he realized that his Lita was fond of dancing – he, on the other hand, has yet to develop a finesse for it).  Shocked like the rest, and a bit enraged, he looked at the raven-haired girl at that time to see her reaction at the announcement of her supposed blond lover, only to find her face blank and devoid of any emotions.  Sensing all eyes on him, Nephrite didn't let his jumbled up emotions show on his face – nor did he chance a look at the suddenly quiet Lita across him at the table.  He was used to keeping his emotions in check, and would always wear a detached expression – sometimes to the point of making the people uncomfortable by his serous rugged features.

He was flabbergasted.  He was livid.  He was, - heck - he was damn jealous!  Alright, maybe he was a bit slow in making his sentiments known to the woman he loves, and that it was not in his quiet nature to be wearing his heart out on his sleeve.  But Hell!  It wasn't fair!  They SHOULD have known him better.  Jadeite SHOULD have known him better.  Damn him!  He had the strong urge to punch the grinning blond in the gut, and shove him onto a cliff.  God, he was. . .he was. . .

. . .simply put, he lost.  He must give her up.  

Both Earth and Moon royal families were there to hear the announcement – it was almost like a royal proclamation – that noone can and will defy.  Besides, Jadeite's like a brother to him, and Nephrite has yet to determine the Princess Lita's feelings for him, for although they have grown close in the past several days, they have yet to reveal any attachments they might have with each other.

_Dammit_!!!__

And to think, he had just risked his life a few days ago when during an outing, Lita almost had a horse-riding accident when a couple of rabid wolf-beasts chased her mount.  Nephrite made away with the animals but got bitten with one of them in his upper thigh, which was now throbbing quite painfully - add that to the fact that his heart was also aching forlornly.

Nephrite slammed his hands down on the wide balustrade and braced his weight on them.  Lita, jerked in surprise, and looked into the tall man's face to see his eyes tightly closed and wearing a grimace.

"Oh, my darling!" she cried without thinking – without realizing she used the endearment in her anguish of seeing the earth general in pain.  "Your poor leg.  You must be in an awful lot of pain!"

Lita slipped her arms around the young man's tense frame and gallantly attempted to relieve him of the burden of some of his weight.

At the touch of her arms and at the scent of her so close however, everything in Nephrite erupted like a flood from the broken dam of his reservation.  Turning her lithe form in his arms and ignoring her startled cry, he brought his hungering lips down on hers and kissed her thoroughly, passionately.

_Give her up?  To hell with Jadeite!!!  He can take him up on a duel anytime.  If Lita wanted to dance, he'd buy her a partner.  A new one for every dance – for he'd kill each one at the end of the dance for daring to hold his Lita in their arms._

_If his rugged face frightened her friends, to hell with them!  He'd so fill her every waking hour that she'd never miss friends!_

_She was his, by God!  She'd been his since the moment she walked out of the carriage that drove them to the castle._

_And noone, ABSOLUTELY frigging noone, would stand in his way._

Nephrite continued on his sweet assault on the brunette and even groaned in delight when the young woman returned his embrace and kissed him back.

The couple was so immersed in their passion, that they no longer heard the silent approach of another couple, the quiet chuckle of one scheming blonde princess; nor did they see the gentle smile on the face of one silver-haired earth general who nudged his partner along so as not to disturb them.

Out in the hallway, the emerging couple was conversing.

The woman thumped the man on the arm affectionately, "You, My lord, owe me."

The tall man tilted his head and regarded the woman rather tenderly, "Lucky for you, your crazy antics didn't backfire this time.  Lita almost fainted when you bully Jadeite to make that ridiculous announcement, not to mention, riling up one fiery Martian princess in the process."

Mina merely grinned.  "Smashing wasn't it?  Still, for once I got Nephrite to act like the man that he is and just finally claim his woman.  I mean, my goodness, they were taking too long.  I almost went out of my poor mind trying to come up with something to make them just glomp each other already!  And for that," the blonde princess stopped to turn up her lovely face to her lord, "I believe I am entitled to some recompense."

Kunzite merely chuckled deeply as he leaned down to claim what was his for the taking.  

Outside, the moon simply shone on.


	17. Destined to Meet I

Replies to Reviews:

Amy: Aw, gee, thanks. ;)  Hehe, liked the fly part, too.  It's so. . .Zoi! hehe.

Christine Tan: Aw, gee, thanks, too!  By the way, are you by any chance Pinoy? ;)

Lilian: Mwahahaha!  I finally get to update!  In the words of Mina, "After 48 years and a century hence" I finally got inspired enough to write a decent chapter!  Thanks for the reviews as always. ;) Hm, about Ami being shocked by Zoicite's nickname "Zach", (actually it's going to be explained later on anyway) here's a clue, remember her doll's name? ;)

wyannick54: Thanks!  Hope this chapter would also find you in one of your more boring days to cheer you up. ;)

girl of darkness: oh my, a Makoto fan!  ;) geez, I'm awfully sorry about Lita's absence in the prior chapter but do not fret, her chapter's up!  And yeah, I do know that the generals are named after gemstones though I can't say I'm familiar with any of them. Hehe.  And by the way, I happen to own Kunzite.  Mwahahahahaha!  Silent stoic guys are DEFINITELY my type.  Kinda tempts you to get into their pants, er, hearts. Rain grins naughtily

Isis Aurora Tomoe: thank you, thank you. ;)  And I liked the term you used too, "splenderifous!"  hehe, hoped to be able to finish this fic soon, so that I could start on another fanfic. ;)

Yavanna: Here goes! :-) Enjoy!!!

MagicMizzy: hehe, GUILTY as charged.  Aww, I guess I was a bit, er ok, maybe a LOT hard on Zoisite.  In fairness though, HE was the ONLY one who got a kissing scene from among all the generals.  Rain nudges Zoisite, you ladykillah, you!  Most of the senshis' could only recall their past kisses (in Mina's case, she was asleep then), but Ami and Zoi got to do it in the present! ;)  The lucky twerp!

Gizelle: Thanks!  Kuzite? Well, well, well,. . .we'll see. ;-)

guardianmercury: Thanks!  The fly-on-the-mouth was a bit gross, ain't it? hehe, but then, Zoi's the man!!! ;) 

Tigeress Moon: Thanks! ;)  

Liz: thanks!  Don't worry, I'll try to update ASAP.  Rain crosses fingers

dreamer: haunt me as a ghost, huh?  Good luck girl!!!  Hope you could find me in the pigsty known as my room. ;)  Thanks for the review as always.

MoonJewel: Awww. . .that was really nice of you!  Rain does a happy chibi dance  Thanks!

Blue Quartz: Hahaha, sorry about the 'naming' thing. ;)  What's with the low profile anyway?  Oohhh, a fugitive!!! Hehe.  Thanks for the reviews as always.    

miLady: hehe, got that right!  Zach's the name of Ami's doll, remember?  But hohoho, the plot thickens! 

kamikaze28: hehe, here's Lita/Makoto's chapter!  Enjoy!

Kaze: haha, I'm glad that you liked the chapter.  Loved the scene with Rae and Jadeite as well.

Victoria Hardman: nuninuninuuu. . .I'll try dear.  Notice that I took a HELL of a time just to update. . .GOMEN, gomen!!!  I will try my very best. ;)

Fireflyer56: Thanks!  Glad you liked the story. ;) Popular? Rain clears her throat well, ahem, *not* really.  Hehe

SquirrelnoShi: Thanks! ;)

Firefly: Awww, thanks a lot!  Hope you liked the rest. ;) 

AlabasterDuchess: Thanks! :-)

Minako-chan: hehe, thanks!  Believe me, it ain't easy telling stories on 4 different couples.  Me also like Minako and Kunzite, hehe, especially Kunzite. Hope you like this chapter.

wings of the phoenix: . . .Rain twisting her foot uneasily er, hehehe, first of all, I do apologize for the um, hehe, long time it took for updating.  Well, I guess I was havin' a bit of trouble in thinking of what to write for the next chapter.  I hope this compensates for all your troubles. :-)

aiko-chan: awww. . .thank you so much for the review and support. :-)

Heerosgurl: wow!  Thanks for the vote of confidence! Me also great fan of Mina and Kunzite. :-)  Hope you'll like this chapter on them.

Shizuka Kaze: Aye, aye, ma'am!  Here's the chapter!  Enjoy.

Isis Aurora Tomoe: Rain grabs an umbrella and opens it to shield herself from oncoming banana cream pies. :-) 

sin katt: Thanks! :-)

NOTE:

First of all, I apologize for – ehehehe – er, making you guys wait for the next chapter.  Some serious writer's block, you know. :-)

Also, AGAIN I would like to apologize for the inconsistencies in my spelling, grammar, and worst of all (Rain shivered), my tenses.  Yuk, yuk, yuk!

Enjoy!!!  

Chapter 15: Destined to Meet

"HHEELLLOOO!!!  Anybody home?  Yoohoo!!!"

The heavy wooden door gave a small creak of protest as the lone female figure opened it further to step forward onto the carpeted hallway of the house.  Mina was temporarily disoriented as her cerulean eyes gradually adjusted to the slightly dim interior of the small house – which she noticed - had a bit of a homey charm all on its own.

_'Now, to look for its – hopefully - equally charming owner,' Mina thought with a smile.    _

Several minutes ago, the perky blonde had just arrived at the doorsteps of the Thompson's residence down the block after visiting Rae at the Cherry Hills Temple, when she was informed by Mr. and Mrs. Thompson that SOMEONE else had already taken the twins for the afternoon.  And that this certain 'someone', was just living in a small cozy house a block away from their very own home.    

Mina was at first surprised at the thought that she had a fellow babysitter (considering that most of the girls hired to take care of the twins usually waved the white flag after just spending a few hours with the so-called 'brats' and their robustness).  And she was even more stunned when told by a laughing Mr. Thompson that the twins had been nothing but gentle lambs ever since the new babysitter took care of them.

_'Whoa!  She really must be something to be able to keep up with the twins!' Mina thought in an admiring daze.  _

She remembered loosing a few precious locks of her glorious blonde hair the first time she babysat the Thompson girls.  Mina cringed at the memory.  The twins wanted to make a wig out of it for their very worn-out (but very much loved) Barbie dolls with fast-receding hairlines due to all the combing and hairstyling abuse, er, - treatments, that they love to apply on the dolls.  

And of course,. . .it never occurred to the little dears to ask permission first from the person whose head was --- being desecrated.

Mina rolled her eyes upward upon remembering the events following the defilement of her person.  _Ugh!  Talk about a total make-over.  She remembered having to cut a generous portion of her hair just to make it all even._

And the little twerps even had the audacity (lovable as they are) to ask for the rest of her blonde strands. . .as hair extensions for the dolls, they simply said.

Mina smiled.  She REALLY adored those girls.  And now, someone else had also discovered that simple joy.

The blonde then squealed in delight.  FINALLY, she could have someone to chat with while taking care of the twins.  Waving a hasty goodbye and skipping swiftly towards the said house where the twins and 'her new friend' were supposed to be staying, Mina didn't get to hear Mrs. Thompson's parting words regarding the new 'babysitter.'  

Mrs. Thompson then looked apprehensively at her husband, who only shrugged in amusement at the probable outcome of the encounter between Mina and the twins' new companion.

Prancing happily, Mina was absolutely enthralled at the thought of meeting a new friend.  Heck, in fact, she's been feeling nothing less than ecstatic the whole day!  She's just so, so. . .so damn giddy!

She had just done a couple of shows a few nights in a row for the play she had a major part in – and was acclaimed quite highly for it.  

In addition, she had just witnessed raw passion in the flesh, - er, that is, she'd been a delighted spectator of a blooming love affair between Rae and her gorgeous temple aid a few hours ago.  And now, she would get to spend an afternoon with her favorite twins, and on top of that, she would get to meet their new charming babysitter.

Thinking of all the fun and girlie stuff that they could do, Mina finally arrived at the front porch of the new babysitter's house as per instruction and description of Mr. Thompson.  She hurriedly swung open the screen door and raised a delicate hand to knock at the front white wooden door.  

Only to find that it was left slightly open.

With a curious look, the blonde pushed open the door and started, well, --- hollering,

"Yoohoo!!!  Oh, Ms. New-babysitter-for-the-adorable-Thompson-twins!  Haaallluuuu!!!  Are you guys here?  There?  Anywhere?  Wherever?"

The reply was a deafening silence, the type where you could actually hear hundred of crickets cheep.  Mina sweatdropped at this, but immediately straightened up when she heard distant sounds of running water. . .and a rubber duckie squeak.  

_'Ohohohoho. . .,' Mina thought with a naughty twinkle in her sparkling eyes, her palms deliberately rubbing against each other as though in wicked intent._

"Nothing like a surprise attack on the girls on their bubble bath.  Mwahahaha. . ."

Being the mischievous creature our heroine was, the young woman slowly traced the path of where the sounds were coming from.  Tip-toeing like a ridiculous nifty tarantula, Mina went through the long corridor and into another hallway, to happen upon a door where the sounds of running water was heard from and which now had stopped.  She oh-so-silently but craftily moved to crouched down beside the bathroom door, still keeping her slight form in the shadowed hallway so as not to be seen immediately by the unfortunate occupants of the bathroom when they do come out.

The doorknob then was being joggled open.    

Another rubber duckie squeak was heard, and Mina grinned at the thought of goosing the girls and making them squeal in surprised delight – still wet from their bath.  God, if only she had a camera right now!  

The blonde then, with a gleeful evil grin, rose for the attack, delicately manicured hands raised to give her hapless would-be-victims the wretched demise of being in the receiving end of her infamous tickle-fest.  And as the door finally swung open, the naughty blonde gave a startling shout before jumping towards the emerging figure who seemed to be cursing quietly, to finally glomp him and. . .

. . . . . . . . . 

. . .Wait a minute. . .WAIT A BLOODY DARN MINUTE. . .HIM???????  It's a --- HIM????

Unfortunately, it was deemed too late for the gorgeous blonde to stop her all-out-war launch towards her poor defenseless target.  Before the fact that it was not two small GIRLIE figures who emerged from the bathroom but a huge MANLY one registered in Mina's brain, she had already latched on to the  slightly damp towel that was dangerously wrapped loose and low (for crying out loud!) around the astonished man's powerfully built lean waist. 

"What the hell - ?!"

"gasp! Oh my, I'm sorr- !"

With a startled gasp, Mina, upon discovering her mistake, instinctively attempted to withdraw her hands from its tight clutch on the towel.  Only to find (to her dismay), that some loose towel fibers somehow clung to her fingernails and hence when she tried removing her hands, the towel, according to the law of – hell, whatever science - would eventually, um, follow.

On the other hand, the tall bewildered man whose wet platinum head shone gorgeously seemed to sense the inevitability of the situation and reached out his own large hands to prevent the towel wrapped around his waist from being totally snatched from his body, and on the process, dropped the rubber duck he was holding a moment ago.  Without thinking, he laid both of his powerful hands on top of Mina's dainty ones.  

The effect was instantaneous.

At the touch of each other's flesh, an electrifying current flowed through their bodies, compelling them to look at each other in incredulity.

And wonder turned to astonishment,. . .and confusion,. . .and trepidation. 

". . .Y-you - " Mina whispered in low tones.

Kunzite breathed in sharply upon gazing into dark gorgeous pools of hazel.

_'Oh dear lord,. . .this is NOT happening. . .please, not now, not yet -,' the former warrior general thought in consternation, his hands unconsciously tightening around her small ones.  He remained gravely silent, for he was deathly afraid of being the first to break the silence, the moment.  Because when that happens (dear heavens!), all bloody hell would break loose._

And for goodness' sake, he was not prepared to face such a scenario donned only in a scrap of towel!

Kunzite's eyes steadied its gaze on Mina's clouded ones, and he prayed to all the gods and deities of the heavens above for the best.

The blonde woman continued to sputter in astonishment, and her eyes held a hint of uncertainty, "Y-you. . .it c-can't, it just can't be,. . .you. . .dear heavens!"

There was something about the bewildered way that Mina behaved that tore Kunzite inside.  She looked absolutely lost, and the rarely-affectionate silver-haired man wanted to reach out to soothe her in her troubled state. 

It was their first time to look at each other face to face since the Silver Millenium; and even though Kunzite had already "re-acquainted" himself with the blonde during those days while he was still a mere doll, Mina's situation might be a bit different than his.

Alright, alright. . .maybe a "bit" was an understatement.

Kunzite sighed.  Concerned eyes looked on as he reached out a hand to touch an errant strand of gorgeous blonde hair from her half-ponytail.  The poor baffled girl didn't even move away.

"I. . .," Kunzite inhaled unevenly, ". . .I know you're confused right now, --- but, I can assure you that there's absolutely no reason for you to fear. . .me or anything. . ."  Kunzite gazed into Mina's eyes and saw her frown even more.  He better do something.

Clearing his throat, he let his hand rest lightly on the blonde's shoulder, gripping her gently, "Look, I –"

BANG!

Both Mina and Kunzite jerked in alarm at the sudden loud noise, and almost jumped a mile high in fright, their hands reflexively tightened around each other's that were still in front of the latter's abs holding the towel.

Sounds of girls squealing were heard as the back door opened to reveal the twins followed by an amused Artemis carrying bags of groceries in his arms; several items were hampering his view upfront, and hence, the white-haired male failed to notice the two stunned figures before him.  

_Uh-oh._

"Hey Kunzite, you should have gone with us to the store, we bou –" Artemis, who was on the act of putting down his load, frowned upon realizing the sudden silence.  The girls were no longer giggling, and Kunzite, whom he believed was just finishing his bath, didn't even acknowledge their arrival.

With a slight curious expression, the renowned guardian of the Lunar princesses turned to see what was afoot.

And saw Kunzite – half-naked and dripping wet. . .and Mina. . .whose hands were entwined with his. . .clutching the towel wrapped loosely on the former's waist. . .

Artemis' eyes widened.  He looked at Kunzite, then at Mina, and then, his face reddening, looked at the twins who were watching curiously the pair.

Then one of the little angels just HAD to speak up,

"Auntie Mina,. . .are you giving Uncle Kunzite a bath?"

A rubber duckie squeak tore the air, as Kunzite – bowled over by the young girl's seemingly-innocent question – staggered back to create some space between him and the blonde, only to find himself stepping on the wretched wet toy.

Too late.  The slippery surface of the wet floor as well as of the rubber duckie, propelled the tall man to lose his balance and fall on his back ---

--- with Mina still clutching onto his towel.  

With a yelp, the blonde ended up falling on top of a dazed Kunzite. . .but not before she wrenched her hands free from his grasp to brace herself from falling hard onto the man.

Chaos ensued, several shouts and squeals were heard overhead.

And then finally, the world had stopped spinning for the pair.  Mina, blushing furiously at the roots of her hair, attempted to push herself away from the man beneath her to get up, but was hindered in doing so by the firm grip he had on her head.  Confused, and a bit indignant by his actions, the blonde woman tried escaping from the man's embrace er, hold. 

"Hey!  Let go!  Get your hands off -"

"Don't you dare stand up, woman, or I swear, it's going to be really REALLY awkward for all of us!"

Mina stiffened at the hard edge on the man's voice, and moved her face to look at his face above her instead of having hers smashed against his (dear heavens!) solid chest.  Incensed by the angry command, Mina was ready to blast the man to smithereens with an icy glare when she realized something overtly extraordinary.

The man's face was red.  As in, really REALLY red.

And beside his head, Mina saw one of her hands braced on the floor ---

--- still holding the wretched wet towel.

_'oh. . .my. . .god'_

Mina blanched.

And everything went down from there.  

* * * * *

"Ohhh. . ."

The slim figure on the bed moaned softly as she stirred restlessly in her slumber, her head moving from one side to another, while her long wavy auburn hair rustled delicately on the soft pillow beneath.  The blanket covering her slim form slipped from one elegant shoulder to reveal the smooth expanse of her delicate neck and collarbone, barely covered by the two-piece emerald swimsuit she wore underneath. 

Her movements conveyed that it'll only be a couple minutes more before the said woman would rose from her sleep.

_Good.  Otherwise, I'll go absolutely nuts!_

Nephrite slowly clenched his jaw as he settled his gaze to where a tall pretty brunette lay casually on top of the bed – well, HIS bed, for that matter – and was obviously having a damn wonderful time snoozing on it.

Normally, the unruffled Nephrite had nothing against people who were slumbering the hours away.  Everyone was entitled to decide on how they would spend their leisure time – provided they were doing it at their own expense, of course.  

On the subject that there's a woman sleeping on his bed, well,. . .he's a man (a damn gorgeous one at that), and well, it's in his so-called nature to um,. . .*welcome* any kind of female companionship that one would normally assume a guy like him would indulge in at the privacy of his bedroom.

Then again, he's not just ANY guy.

Nor was the woman on his bed just ANY woman.

And on top of that, he just made a bloody mess of things on the pool below several hours ago.

Nephrite's aquamarine eyes twinkled in hidden amusement.

_'Oh yes, a bloody mess, indeed.'_

When Lita saw him and fainted at the sight of his tall figure sauntering towards her, he immediately reached out to catch the falling brunette to enfold her tenderly within his strong arms.  Oblivious to the surprised gasps and murmurs of the people surrounding the pool area, his rugged face softened at the sight of the unconscious woman, and raised one hand to curl a loose tendril of wavy brown hair behind her ear.  Thinking that she'd be more comfortable inside, Nephrite was on the act of carrying Lita's slender form, when Harold, the jerk of a hotel manager who was bothering her a while ago and whom he had almost forgotten, spoke in very low albeit very malicious tones.

"Well, well, well, the chap's got an eye on the bitch, too."

For one brief tense moment, Nephrite only saw red.

Facing the pompous man who was, to Nephrite's utmost satisfaction, still bleeding in the nose from the punch that Lita gave him a few minutes ago, the tall brunet gave him a withering glare with such detached icy contempt.  It took Nephrite all of his iron self-control not to wipe the bloody sneer from the man's pudgy face with his fists.  And if not for the reason that he still had Lita in his arms then, he might have been sorely tempted to charge like a raging bull towards the hotel executive and realign the features of his obnoxious face. 

Harold grunted in satisfaction at the hesitation of the young man before him, empowering him to further twist the knife in,

"Tsk, tsk,. . .a pity, the bitch was kinda good, too,. . .never had one like her for a long time, then again, it's not often you get them young and fresh."

Gasps were heard as people surrounding the pool heard of the insult thrown.

And Nephrite. . .well, he wasn't exactly,. . .er, calm at the moment.

His eyes were angry slits in his thunderous face, narrowing them to emphasize his threat that the pudgy man was indeed threading on dangerous ground.

Harold merely stood beside the pool, deliberately relaxing into a male sprawl and smiled viciously just enough for Nephrite to know that he didn't feel threatened at all.

But then Nephrite's face relaxed and he smiled.  His expression was so wolfishly anticipatory that Harold's grin faded back.  The former warrior-general didn't mind hostility against his person.  He did mind though, if it's against Lita.  He became quiet, bland,. . .dangerously composed.

Nephrite spoke in a calm but dangerously low tone,

"You forget yourself, old boy.  Judging by your bloody nose, I guess the lady wasn't exactly. . .receptive of your advances, ergo, you never really had her.  Besides," one of Nephrite's brow rose condescendingly, his voice still carrying steel, "why would she want anything to do with someone like you,. . .when she already has someone like me." 

      And with that, he turned and left --- leaving a fuming red-faced hotel executive spluttering in anger and humiliation. 

      Nephrite didn't even listen to the man's hurled insults and threats, and merely leaned down to place a kiss on the unconscious young woman's brow before turning towards the elevator to bring them up to the penthouse.  Upon reaching the desired floor, the tall figure carrying Lita sauntered down the corridor and kicked open a door leading to a private area where the penthouse suite was located.  

      When Nephrite reached the posh bedroom, he gently laid down the sleeping brunette and covered her with a blanket, but not before smoothing down one finger on her soft cheek. 

The former earth general sighed.  It has already been an hour since Lita fainted and judging by the soft sounds she's making in her sleep, his thunderheart might be getting a bit TOO comfortable in snoozing the day away.  At which case, he had no complaints.  

Nephrite's lips twitched.

It gave him more opportunity to just be with his love, even though she's a bit, well, indisposed at the moment.

". . .Hmmm. . ."

      The figure on the bed moaned again and Nephrite stilled.  His face was suddenly creased in a frown.  Lita swung her head from left to right, her eyelids closed but moving as if she's having a dream.

_'She must be dreaming. . .but of what?'_

      A bit concerned, Nephrite deliberately moved towards the bed beside Lita, and carefully lied down on his side facing the young woman.  With brows knitted, he gently took hold one of Lita's hands, and closed his eyes.

_      'I need to see.'_

With that, he joined the dream. . .

                                    * * * * *

_Silver Millenium_

Lita looked up into Lord Nephrite's handsome guarded face and spoke with care, "I am delighted that they've found each other."

She then turned back from the wary figure of the earth general to her contemplation of the young couple strolling in the gardens of the Earth Royal Palace below the balcony where they stood.  The light emanating from the moon in the sky shone against the silvery radiance of the woman's long blonde hair, while the head of the man beside her glinted raven black.    

"It will be nice to have the prince as a part of,. . .of our family.  Queen Serenity delights in his company," Lita continued.

Nephrite spoke quietly, but his voice deepened with an emotion yet to be expressed, "You will live with them, then?"

Lita turned her head in surprise.  "W-well, of course.  I am a princess, but I am above all, a Moon Guardian.  My duty is with the Princess Serena.  I-I can hardly remain h-here on earth." 

The tall earth general shifted in his position, cursing himself for being a self-torturing fool.  

_Damn, damn, and double damn.  If only – _

If only he had told her earlier of his feelings, then he would not have been cheated out on the chance of loving the Jupiterian princess.  As luck would have it, General Jadeite have announced at tea a few days ago, in front of both the Earth and Moon guardians, of his intent on wooing the tall pretty brunette.  Nephrite never knew that his friend was interested in the Lady Lita thinking that Jadeite seemed taken with the Martian princess who arrived together with the other senshi's several weeks ago for the engagement of the Princess Serena to Prince Darien.  

Besides, he saw Princess Lita danced only ONCE with Jadeite during one of the balls where both set of guardians got to know each one (It was also then he realized that his Lita was fond of dancing – he, on the other hand, has yet to develop a finesse for it).  Shocked like the rest, and a bit enraged, he looked at the raven-haired girl at that time to see her reaction at the announcement, only to find her face devoid of any emotions.  Sensing all eyes on him, Nephrite didn't let his jumbled up emotions show on his face – nor did he chance a look at the suddenly silent Lita across him at the table.  He was used to keeping his emotions in check, and would always wear a detached expression – sometimes to the point of making the people uncomfortable by his serious rugged features.

He was flabbergasted.  He was livid.  He was, - heck - he was damn jealous!  Alright, maybe he was a bit slow in making his sentiments known to the woman he loves, and that it was not in his quiet nature to be wearing his heart out on his sleeve.  But Hell!  It wasn't fair!  They SHOULD have known him better.  Jadeite SHOULD have known him better.  He had the strong urge to punch the grinning blond in the gut, and shove him onto a cliff.  God, he was. . .he was. . .

. . .simply put, he lost.  He must give her up.  

Both Earth and Moon royal families were there to hear the announcement – it was almost like a royal proclamation – that noone can and will defy.  Besides, Jadeite's like a brother to him, and Nephrite has yet to determine the princess's feelings for him.

_Dammit!!!_

And to think, he had just risked his life a few days ago when during one of their outings, Lita almost had a horse-riding accident when a couple of rabid wolf-beasts chased her mount.  Nephrite made away with the animals but got bitten with one of them in his upper thigh which was now throbbing quite painfully.  Add that to the fact that his heart was also aching.

Nephrite slammed his hands down on the wide balustrade and braced his weight on them.  Lita, jerked in surprise, and looked into the tall man's face to see his eyes tightly closed and wearing a grimace.

"Oh, my darling!" she cried out without thinking – without realizing she used the endearment in her anguish of seeing her earth general in pain.  "Your poor leg.  You must be in an awful lot of pain!"

Lita slipped her arms around the young man's tense frame and gallantly attempted to relieve him of the burden of some of his weight.

At the touch of her arms and the scent of her so close however, everything in Nephrite erupted like a flood from the broken dam of his reservation.  Turning her lithe form in his arms and ignoring her startled cry, he brought his hungering lips down on hers and kissed her thoroughly, passionately.

_Give her up?  To hell with Jadeite!!!  He can take him up on a duel anytime.  If Lita wanted to dance, he'd buy her a partner.  A new one for every dance – for he'd kill each one at the end of the dance for daring to hold his Lita in their arms._

_If his rugged face frightened her friends, to hell with them!  He'd so fill her every waking hour that she'd never miss friends!_

_She was his, by God!  She'd been his since the moment she walked out of the carriage that drove them to the castle._

_And noone, ABSOLUTELY frigging noone, would stand in his way._

Nephrite continued on his sweet assault on the brunette and even groaned in delight when the young woman returned his embrace and kissed him back.

The couple was so immersed in their passion, that they no longer heard the silent approach of another couple and the quiet chuckle of one scheming blonde moon princess; nor did they see the gentle smile on the face of one stoic earth general who nudged his partner along so as not to disturb them.

Out in the hallway, the emerging couple was conversing.

The woman thumped the man on the arm affectionately, "You, My lord, owe me."

The tall man tilted his head and regarded the woman rather tenderly, "Lucky for you, your crazy antics didn't backfire this time. Lita almost fainted when you bully Jadeite to make that ridiculous announcement, not to mention, riling up one fiery Martian princess in the process."

Mina merely grinned. "Smashing wasn't it? Still, for once I got Nephrite to act like the man that he is and just finally claim his woman. I mean, my goodness, they were taking too long. I almost went out of my poor mind trying to come up with something to make them just glomp each other already! And for that," the blonde princess stopped to turn up her lovely face to her lord, "I believe I am entitled to some recompense."

Kunzite merely chuckled deeply as he leaned down to claim what was his for the taking.

And the moon simply shone on.

                              * * * * * 

Nephrite woke up.

For several moments, he was a bit dazed by his slumber and had to blink his eyes a couple of times to rid traces of sleep.  His mind however, was besieged with thoughts on the dream he just shared with Lita.

With a tender smile forming on his lips, Nephrite gazed at the other lying figure beside him and stared to his heart's content.  One of his arms was still around the young brunette, gently lying on top of her stomach, and without conscious thought his hand started to stroke the smooth expanse of skin of her belly --- all the while his eyes feasting on the beauty before him.

This is it.

Whatever happens after, Nephrite will not think of.

This is the moment he had been waiting for.  Several weeks had already passed since he last left Lita's side when he transformed back to his human form, and a lot has happened since.

And he had enough.  By now, most of his 'brothers' would have already met their loves in human form, and were having a blast of a time.  He's not about to be left out on this.

". . .Hmmm. . ." Lita moaned, and slightly turned her head on her side, bringing her lovely face nearer to Nephrite's, eyes still closed.

Nephrite felt something stuck in his throat.

_'God,. . .she's beautiful.'_

A delicate frown then appeared in Lita's face.  Moaning still, she shifted in her sleep.  Nephrite stilled.  But the young woman merely stirred to raise her arm and wrapped it around the auburn-haired man's lean waist, nudging her face on the crook between Nephrite's neck and shoulders.  

". . .Hmmm,. . .hug, Nate. . ."

For several moments, all was still.  Then, Nephrite sighed and smiled at the sleeping woman.

_'Even now, she can't seem to forget the doll.  I ought to be jealous!'  _

Shaking his head in amusement, Nephrite settled further into their embrace and before he close his eyes to sleep, whispered,

"You don't need that doll anymore, love.  I'm here.  And you can hug me all you want." 

            * * * * * 


	18. AUTHOR'S BLOODY NOTE

Awww…god, I feel such an a for making you guys wait and all. 

Even though it's been more than a freaking year since I updated the darn thing, people just can't seem to get enough of the story and I feel so dreadful for making you all beg and whine and plead and curse and…oh well, you know all that.

Actually, I have the next chapter in my computer already (well, parts of it, I guess), I just can't find it in me to finish it up.  Blame it on…school, work, the utter lack of anything that resembles romance in my life (hardiharhar), and the soul-part as well.

In other words, my friends…I am such a lazy bum! Mwahahahaah! 

Oh, alright. Will be back right on track soon (huh?). I know I promised a lot of people that I am going to upload the story ASAP. Just give me another year.

HAHAHAHAHAHA-)

Don't get your knickers up in a twist…I WILL BE UPDATING BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. Cheerio!


	19. AUTHOR'S WAKEUP NOTE

Hi guys,

I just got an email from a very "concerned" reader with regards to the status of this particular fic. (Thanks for the wake-up call there.)

First of all, I would like to apologize for not being able to update this story as promised. My computer got infected a few months before and I lost more than half of my original files, which unfortunately, include subsequent chapters of this fic.

I got so pissed and so frustrated that I kinda lost interest for a while there (imagine all those chapters gone! Sigh). I have yet to find the inspiration to read the chapters all over again in order to come up with those I lost – and making them even better! And because it's been months since I last updated, I have forgotten some of the scenes that I wrote. You bad fanfic writer, Rain!

Well, I hope to be able to redeem myself in your eyes.:-) And soon. All I ask...is that you please bear with me a little longer. Thanks!

Rain's flexing her writer's fingers right now… :-)


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